New Caledonia (Concert of Europe)

New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie) is an overseas country of. Located in, it is part of the Melanesian region: it includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, the New Hebrides, and a few remote islets. Apart from French Polynesia, it is the only French possession in the Pacific.

The population is composed by numerous indigenous Melanesian people (collectively called "Kanaks" or "Canaques"), settlers from metropolitian France (called "Caldoches"), and a few mulattoes. French is the only official language, but indigenous tribes (which are often granted a certain degree of autonomy and are recognized by the colonial government) use their own language. The colony relies largely on nickel extraction as a driving sector of its economy, which is one of the largest in the South Pacific.