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CountryOnlineFind.com > Reception > Country > New Caledonia
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New Caledonia destination
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New Caledonia (NC) |
| Continent: |
Oceania |
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| Surface: |
19.060 km ² |
| Inhabitants: |
216.494 |
| Capital: |
Noumea |
International banking code (ISO Codes): |
NC |
| Official language: |
French |
Code: |
+687 |
| Currency: |
Frank CFP |
Number plate: |
no one |
| Routes of New Caledonia: |
156 |
Routes towards New Caledonia: |
209 |
| Preferred airports: |
Noumea (NOU), Noumea Magenta (GEA), Touho (TOU), Lifou (LIF), Kone (KNQ), Koumac (KOC), Belep (BMY), Island of Pines (ILP), Oyem (UVE), Pond (MEE) |
| Principal cities: |
Noumea, Mount-Gilds, Dumbéa, Païta, Wé, Tadine, Poindimié, Bourail, Koné, Houailou, Fayaoué, Canala, Koumac, Foa, Thio |
| Airline company based in New Caledonia: |
Air International Caledonie, Air Caledonie |
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Tourist guide New Caledonia (Oceania) |
New Caledonia is an archipelago located in Oceania at 1.500 km at the east of Australia. The archipelago is still to date a community attached to France although it is located at a distance of 20.000 km of the metropolis. The archipelago is the third larger country of the Pacific-south after New Zealand and New Guinea-News-Guinea. With the islands Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia forms Mélanésie.
Geography: contrary to its neighbors mélanésiens, the New Caledonian archipelago is not volcanic origin. It consists of fragments derived from the old continent, old man of 250 million years, Gondwana. Because of this geological characteristic, the archipelago presents very varied landscapes and a single flora and a fauna in the area. The archipelago is also famous for its splendid sand beaches white and end, among most beautiful in all the area of the Pacific. The island principal, Large Ground, extends on close to 400km length and is surrounded by a coral reef a 1.600 km length at a distance ranging between 10 km and 50 km of the grounds. The lagoons of the island count among most beautiful of the world. The east coast occupied by splendid sand beaches end. Towards the interior of the grounds, the relief becomes increasingly undulating until becoming mountainous. An assembly line traverses almost all the territory in the direction length. The part-west of the island is rather arid and punt, planted trees with rubber, part-is it greener, more undulating and is covered with tropical forest. It is in this part of the island that one finds the most beautiful beaches.
To 50 km in the Large-Ground south-east, the island of the Pines is famous in all Pacific for its caves which shelter splendid concretions.
The archipelago includes/understands also the islands Loyauté, the islands Chesterfield, the islands Huon, the Matthew islands and Walpole.
Relief and river: the culminating point of the archipelago, the Panié Mount, is drawn up at an altitude of 1.628 m in the Large-Ground north. The largest river, the Diahot river, is him also on the principal island and traverses it on 150 km, of which only 40 km are navigable.
Climate and period of voyage advised: it reigns in New Caledonia throughout the year a subtropical climate characterized by relatively constant temperatures ranging between 20° C and 30° C throughout the year, and moderated by the trade winds. One cannot thus really speak about seasons, however, the best period to go there is between April and November, because during the other months, of the falls of occasional rains can occur and between December and February, the archipelago is regularly visited by cyclones more or less devastators.
Official languages and spoken languages: the official language is French, but because of the great ethnic disparity, nearly 30 Polynesian languages and mélanésiennes are spoken in the archipelago.
Health and vaccinations: generally one advises with the travellers to be made vaccinate against hepatitis has, typhus, the polio, the diphteria and tetanus. To prevent the viral diseases transmitted by the insects and the mosquitos, it is in general enough to cover well and apply products anti-insects. The risk to contract paludism is non-existent in all the archipelago. The health system is satisfactory in the big cities and the very tourist places. Nevertheless, it is advised to contract a insurance-voyage including/understanding a insurance-repatriation for the most serious cases. For more safety and to avoid risks of infection, it is recommended to consume only bottled water, to peel the fruits well and to make cook vegetables before consuming them. Lastly, think of providing you with a first-aid kit of voyage.
Conditions of entry on the territory: even for the French nationals, a chart of national identity is not enough to go to New Caledonia because of the stopovers on nonFrench territories. A valid passport is thus necessary. The minor travellers must be provided with an individual passport.
For further information concerning vaccinations, the conditions of entry and the security instructions, you can, for example, to consult the site of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Travel and transport: from Paris (CDG) there do not exist to date direct flights bound for the international airport of Noumea Tontouta (NOU), located at 45 km of the city, but some international companies propose flights with one or two stopovers. One can quote Air France (AF) and KLM (KL). The airport of Magenta (GEA), located at only 5 km of the town of Noumea, serves thanks to the local airline companies, such as Air Caledonie (TY) and Air Vanuatu (NF), the islands of the archipelago and certain islands located in the Pacific. Another alternative would be to rent a private aircraft or a helicopter.
“Visit South Pacific Pass” constitutes an interesting and cheaper option to visit the southern Pacific Islands. One can use it in Australia, New Zealand and in the southern Pacific on the companies Quantas (QF), Air Calédonie (TY), Air Nauru (ONE), Air Niugini (PX), Air Pacific (FJ), Air Vanuatu (NF), Polynesian Airlines (pH) like Solomon airlines (IE), for the following destinations: Sydney (SYD), Brisbane (BNE), Melbourne (MEL), Wellington (WLG), Auckland (AKL), Christchurch (CHC) and on the many airports of the Cook Islands, the Fiji Islands, of Nauru, of New Caledonia, of the Samoa Islands, of Tahiti, of Tonga and Vanuata. The Step is valid for 6 months as from the first flight and 2 of the 8 coupons maximum must be held before the arrival in the Pacific. A reservation in advance can in any event prove desirable in peak season for certain destinations very appraisals.
The capital: Noumea is the administrative capital of New Caledonia. It shelters 100.000 inhabitants and thus is populated relatively little. The city introduces a very multiethnic face since Kanaks, the indigenous population, there côtoient Europeans, the caldoches, indonésiens, Vietnamese, Polynesians and of Chinese. Among the interesting visits that the city offers, one can quote the aquarium, one of more at a peak of the world with his system open on the sea, the arts center Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the cathedral Saint Joseph and the buildings inherited the colonial period. The city offers also some pretty corners of nature in its municipal parks and on its beaches.
The botanical garden, located at 5 km of the downtown area lodges thus more than 700 animalist species.
To 18 km of Noumea, on coast-is, close to the Amédée headlight, the beach is favourable with the bathe and the diving. In water tropicalement hot of the lagoon, one can be filled with wonder in front of a coral reef at any beauty and, towards the interior of the grounds one can admire beautiful cascades and pretty lakes which are integrated harmoniously in the landscape of surrounding tropical forest.
The pyramidal formations of the needle of Prony deserve they also a watery excursion.
Great underwater tourist attraction remain the innumerable wrecks which strew the funds with broad with the coast-west. The boats ran aground during the last centuries because of the coral reefs and the strong currents. More than their true treasures, the wrecks, populated today watery lines, tortoises, hippocampi and murenes, fascinate by the surrealist underwater atmosphere which they create.
Tourist sites and places of bathe: in the collar of Katiramona, located at approximately 15 minutes in the car of Noumea, one of the 600 New Caledonians sites is on which one can contemplate petroglyphs traced by the old indigenous populations mélanésiennes, of which still today, one is unaware of the true significance. It is known just that these engravings of geometrical forms were made approximately 1.500 years ago.
Fauna and the New Caledonians flora have it also what to charm the visitors. Because of the geographical insulation of the archipelago, nearly 3.400 endemic species could develop, with the shelters of predatory natural. The endemic species most known are the giant horned tortoise, the cagou, bird which one finds only on the island and from which it became the emblem and the giant gecko.
Religion: 60% of the population declare catholic confession, 30% of Protestant confession, 10% of Moslem confession.
Big cities and possibilities of lodging: Noumea, bourail and Koné
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Flights expensive not preferred towards and of New Caledonia/NC
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