New Caledonia

New Caledonia is an archipelago in the south Pacific. The vast majority of its population live on the main island of Grande Terre - one of the largest islands in the south Pacific. A French Overseas Territory, New Caledonia lies approximately 2000km to the east of Australia. Home to just under 225,000 people, New Caledonia boasts one of the region's most enviable landscapes, with unspoilt sandy beaches and a 1000 mile coral reef vying for attention with rugged, peaceful mountains.

New Caledonia's capital, Noumea, is situated on Grande Terre, as are its two major airports - Noumea Magenta Airport and Tontouta International Airport. The indigenous people of New Caledonia are known as the Kanaks. Kanaks represent around 45% of the islands' population - with Europeans accounting for a further third. The Kanaks have long argued for independence from France and recent years have seen them move closer to this goal. The 1998 Noumea Accord granted greater autonomy to New Caledonia than it previously enjoyed and also stipulates that an independence vote will be held in New Caledonia sometime between 2014 and 2019.

Economically, tourism is extremely important to New Caledonia. Visitors to New Caledonia are usually enchanted by the islands' unique combination of scenery, flora, fauna and colonial architecture - not to mention the superb weather. Tourism is not the only significant industry, however. New Caledonia has 25% of the world's known nickel deposits and the nickel industry contributes heavily to the GDP of the islands.