New Caledonia: Flag and Facts
New Caledonia flies two official flags: the French tricolor and the Kanak flag, which has blue, red, and green bands behind a yellow disk outlined in black with a black rooftop spire.
- Capital
- Nouméa
- Region
- Melanesia
- Population
- 307,612 (2025)
- Languages
- French
- Currency
- CFP franc
- Area
- 18,575 km² (7,172 sq mi)
- People
- New Caledonian
- Calling code
- +687
- Highest point
- Mont Panie 1,628 m
- Independence
- none (overseas collectivity of France)
- National symbols
- flèche faîtière (native rooftop adornment), kagu bird
- Borders
- No land borders
- Status
- Territory (not a sovereign country)
About New Caledonia
That spire is a fleche faitiere, a carved ornament placed on top of traditional Kanak houses. It doubles as a national symbol, together with the kagu bird. Both flags hold equal status, which reflects the territory's place as an overseas collectivity of France with its own congress.
People first arrived around 1600 B.C. These were the Lapita, expert sailors whose pottery helps scientists trace how humans spread across the Pacific. Later migrants mixed with them, giving rise to the Kanak people. James Cook landed in 1774 and named the island after the Latin word for Scotland. France annexed it in 1853 and turned it into a penal colony in 1864, shipping more than 20,000 prisoners over three decades. Nickel turned up that same year, and convicts were put to work mining it. Kanak leader Atai led a revolt in 1878.
Did you know?
- Mont Panie crowns New Caledonia at 1,628 meters.
- In World War II, US forces ran their South Pacific command from New Caledonia.
- In land area, New Caledonia comes in just under New Jersey.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about New Caledonia
What currency is used in New Caledonia?
The CFP franc, shown with the symbol ₣.
Is New Caledonia an independent country?
No. It is an overseas collectivity of France, and its main language is French.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.