At the last census in 2014 New Caledonia had a population of 268,767. Of these, 17,436 live in the Loyalty Islands Province, 45,137 in the North Province, and 183,007 in the South Province. Population growth has slowed down since the 1990s, but remains strong with a yearly increase of 1.7% between 1996 and 2009.
The Pacific island of New Caledonia is a nature lover’s paradise. Punching above its weight, the island lays claims to impressive natural features including the largest lagoon in the world, a unique blend of flora and fauna, and a 1800km-long (1118 mile) coral reef, second only in size to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
New Caledonia is part of Zealandia, a fragment of the ancient Gondwana super-continent. Zealandia separated from Australia 60–85 million years ago. It is speculated that New Caledonia separated from Australia roughly 66 million years ago, subsequently drifting in a north-easterly direction, reaching its present position about 50 million years ago.