World Factbook
New Caledonia
Territoire des Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: the country has two official flags with equal status, the flag of France and the Kanak (ethnic Melanesian) flag; the latter consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a large yellow disk shifted slightly to the left side is edged in black and displays a black fleche faîtière symbol, a native rooftop adornment
Capital
name
Noumea
etymology
established in 1854 as Port-de-France, the settlement was renamed Noumea in 1866 to avoid confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique; the name Noumea may come from the local name of the peninsula the city was founded on
time difference
UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
22 16 S, 166 27 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
see France
Constitution
history
4 October 1958 (French Constitution with changes as reflected in the Noumea Accord of 5 May 1998)
amendment process
French constitution amendment procedures apply
Country name
etymology
the name came from British explorer Captain James COOK in 1774 and uses the Latin name for Scotland, Caledonia
local long form
Territoire des Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances
local short form
Nouvelle-Calédonie
conventional long form
Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form
New Caledonia
Independence
none (overseas collectivity of France)
note: in three independence referenda, on 4 November 2018, 4 October 2020, and 12 December 2021, the majority voted to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo
Legal system
civil law system based on French civil law
Government type
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Congress); an overseas collectivity of France
Judicial branch
note
note: final appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are referred to the Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (in Paris); final appeals beyond the Administrative Court are referred to the Administrative Court of Appeal (in Paris)
highest court(s)
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; organized into civil, commercial, social, and pre-trial investigation chambers; court bench normally includes the court president and 2 counselors); Administrative Court (number of judges NA)
subordinate courts
Courts of First Instance include: civil, juvenile, commercial, labor, police, criminal, assizes, and also a pre-trial investigation chamber; Joint Commerce Tribunal; administrative courts
judge selection and term of office
judge appointment and tenure based on France's judicial system
Executive branch
cabinet
Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress
chief of state
President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by High Commissioner Jacques BILLANT (since 3 May 2025)
election results
2025: Alcide PONGA (The Republicans) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes 2021: Louis MAPOU (PALIKA) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes
head of government
President of the Government Alcide PONGA (since 8 January 2025)
most recent election date
8 July 2021
election/appointment process
French president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of New Caledonia elected by Territorial Congress for a 5-year term (no term limits)
expected date of next election
2026
National holiday
Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)
note 1: the local holiday is New Caledonia Day, 24 September (1853)
note 2: often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, France's national celebration commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July 1789 and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are la Fête nationale (National Holiday) and le Quatorze Juillet (14th of July)
Dependency status
special collectivity of France
note: independence referenda took place in 2018, 2020, and 2021, with a majority voting in each case to reject independence in favor of the status quo
National color(s)
grey, red
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
1 (natural); note - excerpted from the France entry
selected World Heritage Site locales
Lagoons of New Caledonia
Political parties
Caledonia Together or CE Caledonian Union or UC Future With Confidence or AEC Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (alliance includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM) Labor Party or PT National Union for Independence or UNI Oceanian Awakening Party of Kanak Liberation or PALIKA Socialist Kanak Liberation or LKS The Republicans (formerly The Rally or UMP)
Legislative branch
note
note 1: the Customary Senate is the assembly of the various traditional councils of the Kanaks, the indigenous population; it rules on laws affecting Kanaks note 2: New Caledonia indirectly elects 2 members to the French Senate and directly elects 2 members to the French National Assembly (see France entry for electoral details)
term in office
5 years
number of seats
54 (indirectly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
legislature name
Territorial Congress (Congrès du Territoire)
scope of elections
full renewal
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
5/12/2019
expected date of next election
December 2025
parties elected and seats per party
Future With Confidence 18, UNI 9, UC 9, CE 7, FLNKS 6, Oceanic Awakening 3, PT 1, LKS 1 (Anti-Independence 28, Pro-Independence 26)
National anthem(s)
title
"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
history
official anthem, as a self-governing French territory
lyrics/music
Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
National symbol(s)
flèche faîtière (native rooftop adornment), kagu bird
National coat of arms
the emblem features two symbols of the local Kanak people: the flèche faîtière, which is a common rooftop adornment on houses, and the nautilus shell, which represents the sea; the third part of the emblem is a stylized representation of a New Caledonia pine tree
Administrative divisions
3 provinces; Province Iles (Islands Province), Province Nord (North Province), and Province Sud (South Province)
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy
none (overseas territory of France)
International organization participation
ITUC (NGOs), PIF, SPC, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WMO