Geography of New Caledonia point is Mont Panié at elevation. The total area of New Caledonia is , of those being land. A territorial dispute exists with regard to the uninhabited Matthew and Hunter Islands, which are claimed by both France (as part of New Caledonia) and Vanuatu. The New Caledonian archipelago is a microcontinental island chain which originated as a fragment of Zealandia, a nearly submerged continent or microcontinent which was part of the southern supercontinent of Gondwana during the time of the dinosaurs. The Grande Terre group of New Caledonia, with Mont Panié at as its highest point, is the most elevated
Biodiversity of New Caledonia modern groups such as the Compositae, Gramineae, Labiatae and Melastomataceae. The groups of Gondwanan origin are the most remarkable flora and include Cunoniaceae, Proteaceae and Myrtaceae. The family of Cunoniaceae has six genera in New Caledonia. "Pancheria" and "Codia" are endemic, although the last is known as a fossil in Australia, while "Cunonia" has 23 endemic species in New Caledonia and one species in South Africa. The other three genera have a Papuan-Australian ("Acsmithia"), Australian ("Geissois") and sub-Antarctic ("Weinmannia") distribution. Proteaceae's two main centers of dispersion are in Australia and Southern Africa; the family is represented in the archipelago by