In the heart of the South Pacific lies a beautiful island surrounded by
an emerald green lagoon. New Caledonia is a land like no other,
offering visitors an insight to a paradise of undeniable beauty and
ecological treasures, all waiting to be discovered.
The beaches are to die for with pure, white sand to give your feet a
holiday. New Caledonia’s best kept secret is the array of reefs, which
lie just off the coast.
New Caledonia was initially settled by the Melanesians
2000-3000 years ago. The first European to sight New Caledonia was
Captain James Cook in the 1770’s on his way to New Zealand.
The island wasn’t sighted again until 1853 when French Admiral
Febvrier-Despointes claimed it as French territory. From then on French
settlers and convicts flooded into the new island.
The people of New Caledonia are multi-cultural with 42.5%
Melanesian, 37.1% European, 20.4% other in population. The official
language is French but at least 33 Melanesian dialects are used. The
prominent religion is Roman Catholic with 60% practicing it.
This article is written by contributors of world66.com, modified by travelers-online.com editors and licensed under a Creative Commons License .
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