1 New Caledonia Land Register (DITTT) data, which exclude lakes and ponds larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers.
At the September 2019 census, there were 182,341 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Greater Nouméa (French: agglomération du Grand Nouméa), 94,285 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Nouméa proper.[3] 67.2% of the population of New Caledonia lives in Greater Nouméa, which covers the communes of Nouméa, Le Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta.
History
Nouméa 1930.
The first European to establish a settlement in the vicinity was British trader James Paddon in 1851. Eager to assert control of the island, the French established a settlement nearby three years later in 1854, moving from Balade in the north of the island[citation needed]. This settlement was initially called Port-de-France and was renamed Nouméa in 1866. The area served first as a penal colony, later as a centre for the exportation of the nickel and gold that was mined nearby.
From 1904 to 1940, Nouméa was linked to Dumbéa and Païta by the Nouméa-Païta railway, the only railway line that ever existed in New Caledonia.
During World War II, the United States Navy built Naval Base Noumea and Nouméa served as the headquarters of the United States military in the South Pacific. The five-sided U.S. military headquarters complex was adopted after the war as the base for a new regional intergovernmental development organisation: the South Pacific Commission, later known as the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and later still as the Pacific Community.
The city maintains much of New Caledonia's unique mix of French and old Melanesian culture. Even today the United States wartime military influence lingers, both with the warmth that many New Caledonian people feel towards the United States after experiencing the relative friendliness of American soldiers[citation needed] and also with the names of several of the quarters in Nouméa. Districts such as "Receiving" and "Robinson", or even "Motor Pool", strike the anglophone ear strangely, until the historical context becomes clear.
Geography
The city is situated on an irregular, hilly peninsula near the southeast end of New Caledonia, which is in the south-west Pacific Ocean.
4e Km, Aérodrome, Haut Magenta, Magenta, Ouémo, and Portes de fer
Faubourg Blanchot and Vallée des Colons
Doniambo, Montagne coupée, Montravel, and Vallée du tir
Artillerie Nord, Centre Ville, Nouville, Quartier Latin, Vallée du Génie
Anse Vata (Drubea: Ouata), Artillerie Sud, Baie des Citrons, Motor Pool, N'géa, Orphelinat, Receiving, Trianon, and Val Plaisance
Climate
Nouméa features a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw) with hot summers and warm winters. Temperatures are warmer in the months of January, February and March with average highs hovering around 30 degrees Celsius and cooler during the months of July and August where average high temperatures are around 23 degrees Celsius. The capital's dry season months are September and October. The rest of the year is noticeably wetter. Nouméa on average receives roughly 1,100 mm (43 in) of precipitation annually.
Climate data for Nouméa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1950−present)
The Greater Nouméa urban area (French: agglomération du Grand Nouméa) had a total population of 182,341 inhabitants at the September 2019 census, 94,285 of whom lived in the commune of Nouméa proper.[3]
The Greater Nouméa urban area is made up of four communes:
18.75% other communities (this group includes in particular the White people of New Caledonia who refused to self-identify as "Europeans")
Languages
At the 2009 census, 98.7% of the population in the Greater Nouméa urban area whose age was 15 years and older reported that they could speak French. 97.1% reported that they could also read and write it. Only 1.3% of the population whose age was 15 years and older had no knowledge of French.[13]
At the same census, 20.8% of the population of the urban area 15 years and older reported that they could speak at least one of the Kanak languages. 4.3% reported that they could understand a Kanak language but not speak it. 74.9% of the population whose age was 15 years and older had no knowledge of any Kanak language.[14]
Economy
Although it is not currently a major tourist destination, Nouméa has experienced a construction boom in the 21st century. The installation of amenities has kept pace and the municipality boasts a public works programme.[citation needed] The mayor of Noumea is Sonia Lagarde; in 2020 her re-election was opposed by the former leader of the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises (CPME), Cherifa Linossier, whose unsuccessful campaign was based on local economic revitalisation.[15][16][17]
Transport
Aircalin, the international airline of New Caledonia,[18] and Air Calédonie (Aircal), the domestic airline, have their headquarters in the city.[19] Aircal's headquarters are on the grounds of Nouméa Magenta Airport,[20]
which serves local routes. Nouméa's international airport is La Tontouta International Airport, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the city.
The Nouméa-Païta railway, which was the only railway line that ever existed in New Caledonia, was closed in 1940.
Education
University of New Caledonia, Nouville campus, 2011Bernheim Library exterior, 2011Bernheim Library interior, 2011
The University of New Caledonia (UNC) dates to 1987 when the Université française du Pacifique (French University of the Pacific) was created, with two centres, one in French Polynesia and the other in New Caledonia. In 1997 the decision was made to split the two parts into separate universities and so in 1999 the Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie and the Université de la Polynésie française were formed.
UNC welcomes around 3,000 local and international students and 100 professors and researchers each year.[21]
The Bibliothèque Bernheim (Bernheim Library) is located in Nouméa.[22]
^""Histoire". Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012. Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Retrieved on 5 January 2012.
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