Nouméa, Grande Terre, New Caledonia

History | Geography | Economy | Transport | Education

🇳🇨 Nouméa is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific's most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deep-water harbour that serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.

At the September 2019 census, 67.2% of the population of New Caledonia live in Greater Nouméa, which covers the communes of Nouméa, Le Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta.

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History 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. 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 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.

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Geography The city is situated on an irregular, hilly peninsula near the south-east end of New Caledonia, which is in the south-west Pacific Ocean.

Neighbourhoods of Nouméa include: • Rivière-Salée • 6e km, 7e km, Normandie, and Tina • Ducos peninsula: ◦ Ducos, Ducos industriel, Kaméré, Koumourou, Logicoop, Numbo, Tindu • 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.

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Economy Although it is not currently a major tourist destination, as of 2007 Nouméa is one of the most rapidly growing cities in the Pacific and has experienced a major housing construction boom in the preceding decade. The installation of amenities has kept pace and the municipality boasts a public works programme. 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.

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Transport Aircalin, the international airline of New Caledonia, and Air Calédonie (Aircal), the domestic airline, have their headquarters in the city. Aircal's headquarters are on the grounds of Nouméa Magenta Airport, which serves local routes. Nouméa's international airport is La Tontouta International Airport, 50 km (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.

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Education The University of New Caledonia (UNC) goes back 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.

The Bibliothèque Bernheim (Bernheim Library) is located in Nouméa.

The city is home to several museums, including the Maritime Museum of New Caledonia.

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Noumea Time 
Noumea Time
Image: Adobe Stock THP Creative #148953421

Nouméa was ranked #1340 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Nouméa has a population of over 94,290 people. Nouméa also forms the centre of the wider New Caledonia metropolitan area which has a population of over 271,407 people.

To set up a UBI Lab for Nouméa see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork

Twin Towns, Sister Cities Nouméa has links with:

🇦🇺 Gold Coast, Australia 🇫🇷 Nice, France 🇵🇫 Papeete, French Polynesia 🇳🇿 Taupō, New Zealand
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license | Nomad

Antipodal to Nouméa is: -13.55,22.267

Locations Near: Nouméa 166.45,-22.2671

🇳🇨 Koné 164.852,-21.059 d: 212.9  

🇻🇺 Port Vila 168.315,-17.737 d: 540.1  

🇫🇯 Lautoka 177.456,-17.611 d: 1261  

🇫🇯 Suva 178.427,-18.136 d: 1331  

🇫🇯 Nausori 178.534,-18.031 d: 1345.9  

🇦🇺 Hervey Bay 152.855,-25.29 d: 1422.9  

🇦🇺 Fraser Coast 152.831,-25.291 d: 1425.3  

🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast 153.087,-26.653 d: 1436.8  

🇦🇺 Caloundra 153.133,-26.8 d: 1437.3  

🇦🇺 Buderim 153.053,-26.685 d: 1441  

Antipodal to: Nouméa -13.55,22.267

🇲🇷 Zouérat -12.467,22.733 d: 19892.3  

🇪🇭 Dakhla -15.933,23.7 d: 19723.7  

🇲🇷 Nouadhibou -17.04,20.937 d: 19625.1  

🇲🇷 Nouakchott -15.98,18.092 d: 19486.1  

🇪🇭 Laâyoune -13.208,27.159 d: 19470  

🇪🇭 El Aaiún -13.396,27.179 d: 19468.7  

🇲🇷 Aleg -13.917,17.05 d: 19433.7  

🇪🇭 Bir Lehlou -9.567,26.333 d: 19409.1  

🇮🇨 Santa Lucía de Tirajana -15.533,27.917 d: 19355.9  

🇮🇨 San Bartolomé de Tirajana -15.573,27.926 d: 19353.8  

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