evidence: New Caledonia, French unique collectivity, southwestern South Pacific Ocean. It consists of the islands of New Caledonia and Walpole, the Isle of Pines, and several other island groups. Area: 7,172 sq mi (18,567 sq km). Population: (2024 est.) 273,900. Capital: Nouméa. Two small islands—Matthew and Hunter, to the east of New Caledonia—are claimed by both France (for New Caledonia) and Vanuatu. The main island, New Caledonia, has rich deposits of nickel that are among the largest in the world. Archaeological excavations indicate an Austronesian presence in the area c. 2000–1000 bce. The islands were visited by Capt. James Cook in 1774 and by various navigators and traders in the 18th–19th century. They were occupied by France in 1853 and were a penal colony from 1864 to 1897. New Caledonians joined the Free French cause of Charles de Gaulle in 1940; the islands were the site of Allied bases during the Pacific war. They became a French overseas territory in 1946. In 1987 and 2018 residents voted by referendum to remain part of France.