New Caledonia New Caledonia New Caledonia (; ) is a special collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and a few remote islets. The Chesterfield Islands are in the Coral Sea. Locals refer to Grande Terre as "" ("the pebble"). New Caledonia has a land area of . Its population of 268,767 (August 2014 census) consists of a mix of Kanak people (the original inhabitants of New
2003 South Pacific Games gold medal in a round robin format. Continuing their domination at the games, Fiji won a further gold in the first-ever women's field hockey competition at the SPG. The Pacific region-specific sports of outrigger canoeing were contested between Tahiti and New Caledonia and Tonga and Tahiti surfed to gold at the Tavarua breaks. New Caledonia topped the medal count. 2003 South Pacific Games The 2003 South Pacific Games were held in Suva, Fiji from 28 June to 12 July 2003. They are also known as the XII South Pacific Games. The Games were the 12th "South Pacific Games" to be