World Factbook
New Caledonia
Territoire des Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
18,275 sq km
water
300 sq km
total
18,575 sq km
Climate
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain
coastal plains with interior mountains
Land use
other
41.1% (2023 est.)
forest
48.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
10.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 9.5% (2023 est.)
Location
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
Coastline
2,254 km
Elevation
lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point
Mont Panie 1,628 m
Irrigated land
100 sq km (2012)
Map references
Oceania
Land boundaries
total
0 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
cyclones, most frequent from November to March volcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active
Geography - note
consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyauté, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls
Natural resources
nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Geographic coordinates
21 30 S, 165 30 E
Population distribution
most of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea