What is the capital of New Caledonia?

The capital of New Caledonia is Nouméa. Located on a peninsula in the southwest of Grande Terre, the territory's main island, Nouméa is the seat of New Caledonia's government and its largest urban centre.

New Caledonia is a French special collectivity in the southwest Pacific. Nouméa contains major territorial institutions, including the Congress and the Government of New Caledonia, as well as France's High Commission. It is also the capital of South Province and the centre of the Greater Nouméa metropolitan area, which includes Dumbéa, Le Mont-Dore, and Païta.

The settlement was founded by the French in 1854 as Port-de-France. It was renamed Nouméa in 1866, partly to avoid confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique. The city's protected harbour helped it develop as a military, administrative, and commercial centre, while nickel mining shaped much of New Caledonia's modern economy.

Païta, Dumbéa, and Le Mont-Dore are separate communes in the metropolitan area, not alternative capitals. Nouméa is also sometimes spelled without its accent in English, but Nouméa is the standard French form.