New Caledonia is a unique French overseas territory in the southwest Pacific Ocean, south of Vanuatu, about 1,210 kilometers (750 miles) east of Australia, and 17,000 kilometers (1,000 miles) away from Metropolitan France. The Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, and the main island of Grande Terre are all part of the archipelago, which is part of the Melanesia subregion. The Coral Sea is home to the Chesterfield Islands. Grande Terre is referred to as "Le Caillou" in French, especially by locals.

The land area of New Caledonia is 18,576 km2 (7,172 sq mi), and it is divided into three provinces. The Loyalty Islands Province is a group of three islands off the east coast of the mainland, while the North and South Provinces are located on the mainland of New Caledonia. The population of 271,407 people in New Caledonia (as of the October 2019 census) is diverse and geographically diverse; In the rich South Province, there are significant populations of European (Caldoches and Metropolitan French), Kanak, and Polynesian (mostly Wallisian) origin, as well as smaller groups of Southeast Asian, Pied-Noir, and North African heritage. In the North and Loyalty Islands Provinces, the indigenous Kanak people are the majority. Nouméa is New Caledonia's capital.