New Caledonia has many festivals that take place throughout the year. Besides the larger regional and national events, most villages will have special celebrations often related to food, harvest, sport, or religion.
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.
New Caledonia has a special status of sui generis collectivity of France. It is located in the subregion of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific.