New Caledonia is the third largest island in the Pacific Region after Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. and has been a French colony since 1853. It became a French Overseas Territory in 1946. From time to time, attempts have been made by the indigenous population to free themselves from French rule. The most serious of these was the Kanak Revolt of 1878. In recent years, intermittent conflicts have flared up between the Melanesians and the French, reflecting the widely differing attitudes that exist towards the various plans for self-government.

In France itself, the traditional consensus between Gaullists and Socialists on colonial matters has broken down as regards New Caledonia, although both parties recognise the strategic importance of the island for nuclear testing.

Unlike its volcanic neighbours, New Caledonia is a fragment of an ancient continent which drifted away some 250 million years ago. Its flora and fauna evolved in isolation, and are now quite unique: 3500 recorded species of plants, three quarters of which occur only here; 4300 species of land animals, 1000 species of fish and 6500 species of marine invertebrates.

New Caledonia offers an endless variety of landscapes, from some of the best white sand beaches in the Pacific to spectacular mountain retreats. Surrounded by a 1600km- (1000 mile-) long coral reef, New Caledonia also boasts the largest lagoon in the world. The reef can be as close as a few kilometres from the coast in some places and as far as 65km (41 miles) in others - with an average depth of 40m (131ft).