View source for Place:Nouméa

{{short description|Place of New Caledonia, France}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name                   = Nouméa
|commune status         = Commune
| image                 = {{Photomontage
| photo1a                 = View over Noumea.jpg
| photo2a                 = NC-noumea-kathedr-03.jpg
| photo2b                 = Nouméa Phare Amédée.JPG
| photo3a                 = Musee de la Ville de Noumea (32058171408).jpg
| photo3b                 = Fontaine celeste noumea.jpg
| spacing                 = 2
| position                = center
| color_border            = white
| color                   = white
| size                    = 280
| foot_montage            = Top: View of Nouméa; Middle: Nouméa Cathedral, Nouméa beach; Bottom: Nouméa City Museum, Céleste fountain
}}
|image coat of arms     = Blason ville Nouméa (Nouvelle-Calédonie).svg
|map size               = 270px
|adjustable map         = Locator map of Nouméa 2018.png
|map caption            = Location of the commune (in red)<br>within New Caledonia
|province               = South Province<br>(provincial seat)
|INSEE                  = 98818
|postal code            = 98800
|mayor                  = Sonia Lagarde<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term                   = 2020&ndash;2026
|coordinates            = {{coord|-22.2758|166.4580|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m            = 20
|elevation min m        = 0
|elevation max m        = 167
|area km2               = 45.7
|urban area km2         = 1,643
|area footnotes         = <ref name=area>{{cite web|url=http://www.isee.nc/tec/atlas/telechargements/1-territoire-environnement.pdf|title=Tableaux de l'économie calédonienne, Chapitre 1 : TERRITOIRE-ENVIRONNEMENT|publisher=ISEE|year=2012|access-date=2013-10-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113161955/http://www.isee.nc/tec/atlas/telechargements/1-territoire-environnement.pdf|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref>
|population             = 94285
|urban pop              = 182341
|population date        = 2019 census
|population footnotes   = <ref name=pop2019>[https://www.isee.nc/component/phocadownload/category/193-recensement?download=1979:rp-2019-population-logement-menages-communes Population, ménages et logement par commune, en 2019], Institut de la statistique et des études économiques Nouvelle-Calédonie</ref>
|ethnic                 = Europeans 39.15%<br>Kanaks 26.62%<br>Wallisians and Futunans 6.1%<br>[[Social:Multiracial|Mixed]] 10.22%<br>Other 17.9%
|ethnic date            = 2019 census
}}

[[File:Flag of the city of Nouméa, New Caledonia.png|thumb|upright|Nouméa city flag, 2011]]
[[File:Map of New Caledonia and Noumea (cropped).jpg|thumb|377x377px|Small scale map of the city]]
'''Nouméa''' ({{IPA-fr|numea}}) is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of [[Earth:New Caledonia|New Caledonia]] and is also the largest francophone city in [[Earth:Oceania|Oceania]]. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, [[Place:Polynesia|Polynesia]]n (Wallisians, Futunians, Tahitians), Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the [[Earth:Oceania|South Pacific]]'s most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deepwater harbour that serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.

At the September 2019 census, there were 182,341 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Greater Nouméa ({{Lang-fr|agglomération du Grand Nouméa}}), 94,285 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Nouméa proper.<ref name=pop2019/> 67.2% of the population of New Caledonia live in Greater Nouméa, which covers the communes of Nouméa, Le Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta.

==History==
[[File:Noumea Map 1930.jpg|thumb|left|Nouméa 1930.]]
The first European to establish a settlement in the vicinity was British trader James Paddon in 1851. Eager to assert control of the island, the French established a settlement nearby three years later in 1854, moving from Balade in the north of the island{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}. This settlement was initially called Port-de-France and was renamed Nouméa in 1866. The area served first as a penal colony, later as a centre for the exportation of the nickel and gold that was mined nearby.

From 1904 to 1940, Nouméa was linked to Dumbéa and Païta by the Nouméa-Païta railway, the only railway line that ever existed in New Caledonia.

During World War II, the United States Navy built Naval Base Noumea and Nouméa served as the headquarters of the United States military in the South Pacific. The five-sided U.S. military headquarters complex was adopted after the war as the base for a new regional intergovernmental development organisation: the South Pacific Commission, later known as the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and later still as the Pacific Community.

The city maintains much of New Caledonia's unique mix of French and old Melanesian culture. Even today the United States wartime military influence lingers, both with the warmth that many New Caledonian people feel towards the United States after experiencing the relative friendliness of American soldiers{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} and also with the names of several of the quarters in Nouméa. Districts such as "Receiving" and "Robinson", or even "Motor Pool", strike the anglophone ear strangely, until the historical context becomes clear.

==Geography==
The city is situated on an irregular, hilly peninsula near the southeast end of [[Earth:New Caledonia|New Caledonia]], which is in the south-west Pacific Ocean.

Neighbourhoods of Nouméa include:<ref>{{Cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110722112059/http://www.ville-noumea.nc/vivre/quartiers.asp
| archive-date=22 July 2011
| url-status = dead
| website= Mairie de Nouméa Hôtel de ville
|title=Les quartiers
|url=https://www.noumea.nc/|access-date=2023-03-14|language=fr}}</ref>
*Rivière-Salée
*6e km, 7e km, Normandie, and Tina
*Ducos peninsula:
**Ducos, Ducos industriel, Kaméré, Koumourou, Logicoop, Numbo, Tindu
*4e Km, Aérodrome, Haut Magenta, Magenta, Ouémo, and Portes de fer
*Faubourg Blanchot and Vallée des Colons
*Doniambo, Montagne coupée, Montravel, and Vallée du tir
*Artillerie Nord, Centre Ville, Nouville, Quartier Latin, Vallée du Génie
*Anse Vata (Drubea: ''Ouata''), Artillerie Sud, Baie des Citrons, Motor Pool, N'géa, Orphelinat, Receiving, Trianon, and Val Plaisance

===Climate===
Nouméa features a [[Earth:Tropical savanna climate|tropical savanna climate]] ([[Earth:Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: [[Earth:Tropical savanna climate|Aw]]) with hot summers and warm winters. Temperatures are warmer in the months of January, February and March with average highs hovering around 30 degrees Celsius and cooler during the months of July and August where average high temperatures are around 23 degrees Celsius. The capital's [[Earth:Dry season|dry season]] months are September and October. The rest of the year is noticeably wetter. Nouméa on average receives roughly {{convert|1100|mm|0|abbr=on}} of precipitation annually.

{{Weather box
|location = Nouméa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1950−present)
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|Jan record high C = 36.8
|Feb record high C = 36.4
|Mar record high C = 36.4
|Apr record high C = 36.1
|May record high C = 32.7
|Jun record high C = 30.7
|Jul record high C = 34.0
|Aug record high C = 31.7
|Sep record high C = 33.0
|Oct record high C = 32.3
|Nov record high C = 34.9
|Dec record high C = 35.7
|Jan record low C = 18.6
|Feb record low C = 19.0
|Mar record low C = 18.8
|Apr record low C = 16.7
|May record low C = 15.7
|Jun record low C = 13.6
|Jul record low C = 13.5
|Aug record low C = 13.2
|Sep record low C = 13.3
|Oct record low C = 14.2
|Nov record low C = 15.2
|Dec record low C = 17.8
|Jan high C = 29.5
|Feb high C = 29.9
|Mar high C = 29.0
|Apr high C = 27.4
|May high C = 25.6
|Jun high C = 24.2
|Jul high C = 23.4
|Aug high C = 23.4
|Sep high C = 24.7
|Oct high C = 26.2
|Nov high C = 27.6
|Dec high C = 29.1
|year high C = 26.7
|Jan mean C = 26.5
|Feb mean C = 26.9
|Mar mean C = 26.2
|Apr mean C = 24.7
|May mean C = 22.9
|Jun mean C = 21.6
|Jul mean C = 20.6
|Aug mean C = 20.5
|Sep mean C = 21.5
|Oct mean C = 22.9
|Nov mean C = 24.3
|Dec mean C = 25.8
|year mean C = 23.7
|Jan low C = 23.4
|Feb low C = 24.0
|Mar low C = 23.5
|Apr low C = 22.0
|May low C = 20.2
|Jun low C = 18.9
|Jul low C = 17.7
|Aug low C = 17.5
|Sep low C = 18.3
|Oct low C = 19.6
|Nov low C = 21.0
|Dec low C = 22.5
|year low C = 20.7
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 107.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 128.3
|Mar precipitation mm = 161.9
|Apr precipitation mm = 118.3
|May precipitation mm = 89.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 77.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 69.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 67.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 39.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 36.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 44.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 64.0
|year precipitation mm = 1004.2
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 10.1
|Feb precipitation days = 10.8
|Mar precipitation days = 11.9
|Apr precipitation days = 11.7
|May precipitation days = 11.3
|Jun precipitation days = 9.3
|Jul precipitation days = 9.4
|Aug precipitation days = 8.4
|Sep precipitation days = 5.8
|Oct precipitation days = 4.8
|Nov precipitation days = 6.0
|Dec precipitation days = 6.7
|year precipitation days = 106.3
|Jan sun = 238.5
|Feb sun = 205.6
|Mar sun = 196.1
|Apr sun = 193.1
|May sun = 173.2
|Jun sun = 154.6
|Jul sun = 182.4
|Aug sun = 203.5
|Sep sun = 230.8
|Oct sun = 258.6
|Nov sun = 250.6
|Dec sun = 261.8
|year sun = 2548.7
|source 1 = Météo-France,<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_98818001.pdf
| title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records
| language = fr
| publisher = Météo-France
| access-date = August 26, 2022}}</ref> Meteociel (sunshine 1981-2010)<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=98818001&normes=2010&normes2=0
| title=Noumea (988) / Normales / Moyennes 1981-2010
| language = fr
| publisher = Météo-France
| access-date = August 26, 2022}}</ref>
|source 2 = Service de la météorologie de la Nouvelle-Calédonie<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_98818001.pdf
| title=climate of Noumea 1981-2010
| language = fr
| publisher = Météo-France
| access-date = April 7, 2022}}</ref>|date=August 2010}}
{{Weather box
|location= Nouméa <small>(Magenta, 1991–2020 averages, extremes 1964−present)</small>
|metric first= Y
|single line= Y
|Jan record high C = 36.8
|Feb record high C = 35.4
|Mar record high C = 35.7
|Apr record high C = 34.1
|May record high C = 32.4
|Jun record high C = 30.8
|Jul record high C = 32.0
|Aug record high C = 31.7
|Sep record high C = 32.6
|Oct record high C = 31.9
|Nov record high C = 35.7
|Dec record high C = 35.5
|year record high C = 36.8
|Jan high C = 29.1
|Feb high C = 29.6
|Mar high C = 28.8
|Apr high C = 27.4
|May high C = 25.7
|Jun high C = 24.3
|Jul high C = 23.4
|Aug high C = 23.3
|Sep high C = 24.5
|Oct high C = 25.8
|Nov high C = 27.1
|Dec high C = 28.5
|year high C = 26.5
|Jan mean C = 26.4
|Feb mean C = 26.9
|Mar mean C = 26.2
|Apr mean C = 24.7
|May mean C = 22.7
|Jun mean C = 21.3
|Jul mean C = 20.2
|Aug mean C = 20.1
|Sep mean C = 21.1
|Oct mean C = 22.6
|Nov mean C = 24.0
|Dec mean C = 25.6
|year mean C = 23.5
|Jan low C = 23.7
|Feb low C = 24.2
|Mar low C = 23.7
|Apr low C = 22.1
|May low C = 19.8
|Jun low C = 18.4
|Jul low C = 17.0
|Aug low C = 16.8
|Sep low C = 17.8
|Oct low C = 19.5
|Nov low C = 21.0
|Dec low C = 22.7
|year low C = 20.6
|Jan record low C = 17.5
|Feb record low C = 17.9
|Mar record low C = 14.5
|Apr record low C = 14.6
|May record low C = 12.0
|Jun record low C = 10.8
|Jul record low C = 8.9
|Aug record low C = 9.9
|Sep record low C = 9.9
|Oct record low C = 10.8
|Nov record low C = 13.2
|Dec record low C = 16.0
|year record low C = 8.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 107.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 134.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 167.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 124.2
|May precipitation mm = 86.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 82.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 71.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 70.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 38.4
|Oct precipitation mm = 39.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 44.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 68.4
|year precipitation mm = 1034.3
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 9.7
|Feb precipitation days = 10.8
|Mar precipitation days = 12.2
|Apr precipitation days = 12.0
|May precipitation days = 11.0
|Jun precipitation days = 9.5
|Jul precipitation days = 9.2
|Aug precipitation days = 8.5
|Sep precipitation days = 5.5
|Oct precipitation days = 5.1
|Nov precipitation days = 6.1
|Dec precipitation days = 6.9
|year precipitation days = 106.4
|source 1 = Météo France<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_98818002.pdf
| title=climate of Magenta 1991-2020
| language = fr
| publisher = Météo-France
| access-date = August 26, 2022}}</ref>}}
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Nouméa <small>(Amédée, 1991–2020 averages, extremes 1989−present)</small>
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|Jan record high C = 36.7
|Feb record high C = 36.4
|Mar record high C = 35.4
|Apr record high C = 32.7
|May record high C = 31.2
|Jun record high C = 30.2
|Jul record high C = 31.0
|Aug record high C = 29.2
|Sep record high C = 30.4
|Oct record high C = 30.7
|Nov record high C = 33.1
|Dec record high C = 34.3
|Jan record low C = 20.3
|Feb record low C = 20.2
|Mar record low C = 20.3
|Apr record low C = 18.4
|May record low C = 16.8
|Jun record low C = 16.0
|Jul record low C = 15.2
|Aug record low C = 14.3
|Sep record low C = 14.8
|Oct record low C = 16.5
|Nov record low C = 16.9
|Dec record low C = 19.4
|Jan high C = 29.2
|Feb high C = 29.8
|Mar high C = 29.0
|Apr high C = 27.6
|May high C = 26.0
|Jun high C = 24.6
|Jul high C = 23.8
|Aug high C = 23.9
|Sep high C = 25.0
|Oct high C = 26.1
|Nov high C = 27.4
|Dec high C = 28.7
|year high C = 26.8
|Jan mean C = 26.7
|Feb mean C = 27.3
|Mar mean C = 26.7
|Apr mean C = 25.4
|May mean C = 23.9
|Jun mean C = 22.5
|Jul mean C = 21.6
|Aug mean C = 21.4
|Sep mean C = 22.3
|Oct mean C = 23.5
|Nov mean C = 24.7
|Dec mean C = 26.0
|year mean C = 24.3
|Jan low C = 24.2
|Feb low C = 24.8
|Mar low C = 24.4
|Apr low C = 23.2
|May low C = 21.7
|Jun low C = 20.4
|Jul low C = 19.3
|Aug low C = 19.0
|Sep low C = 19.7
|Oct low C = 20.8
|Nov low C = 22.0
|Dec low C = 23.4
|year low C = 21.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 92.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 81.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 107.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 83.0
|May precipitation mm = 74.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 65.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 61.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 56.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 36.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 27.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 30.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 49.3
|year precipitation mm = 765.2
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 7.7
|Feb precipitation days = 9.2
|Mar precipitation days = 9.9
|Apr precipitation days = 9.3
|May precipitation days = 9.8
|Jun precipitation days = 8.8
|Jul precipitation days = 8.0
|Aug precipitation days = 7.0
|Sep precipitation days = 4.5
|Oct precipitation days = 4.7
|Nov precipitation days = 4.6
|Dec precipitation days = 5.4
|year precipitation days = 88.8
|source 1 = Météo-France<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_98818003.pdf
| title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records
| language = fr
| publisher = Météo-France
| access-date = August 27, 2022}}</ref>}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Noumea Market.jpg|thumb|250px|A woman at a market in Nouméa, 2006]]
The Greater Nouméa urban area ({{lang-fr|agglomération du Grand Nouméa|links=no}}) had a total population of 182,341 inhabitants at the September 2019 census, 94,285 of whom lived in the commune of Nouméa proper.<ref name="pop2019"/>

The Greater Nouméa urban area is made up of four communes:
*Nouméa (94,285 inh.)
*Dumbéa (35,873 inh.), to the north-west of Nouméa
*Le Mont-Dore (27,620 inh.), to the north-east of Nouméa
*Païta (24,563 inh.), a suburb to the west of Dumbéa and the site of La Tontouta International Airport

===Historical population===

{|
|
{{Historical populations
| align = left
| title = Historical population Nouméa (commune)
| percentages = pagr
| source = ISEE<ref name=recens>{{cite web|url=https://www.isee.nc/population/recensement/structure-de-la-population-et-evolutions |title=Structure de la population et évolutions: La population aux différents recensements |author=ISEE |access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1956.931693989 |22235
|1963.334246575 |34990
|1969.191780822 |41853
|1976.31147541 |56078
|1983.287671233 |60112
|1989.257534247 |65110
|1996.292349727 |76293
|2009.569863014 |97579
|2014.652055 |99926
|2019.693151 |94285
}}
|
{{Historical populations
| align = centre
| title = Historical population Greater Nouméa (urban area)
| percentages = pagr
| source = SPLAF<ref name=splaf>{{cite web|url=http://splaf.free.fr/ncurb.html |title=Agglomérations et villes de la Nouvelle-Calédonie |author=SPLAF (Site sur la Population et les Limites Administratives de la France) |access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref> and ISEE<ref name=recens/>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1956.931693989 |25204
|1963.334246575 |39996
|1969.191780822 |50488
|1976.31147541 |74335
|1983.287671233 |85098
|1989.257534247 |97581
|1996.292349727 |118823
|2009.569863014 |163723
|2014.652055 |179509
|2019.693151 |182341
}}
|}

Average population growth of the Greater Nouméa urban area:
*1956-1963: +2,310 people per year (+7.5% per year)
*1963-1969: +1,791 people per year (+4.1% per year)
*1969-1976: +3,349 people per year (+5.6% per year)
*1976-1983: +1,543 people per year (+2.0% per year)
*1983-1989: +2,091 people per year (+2.3% per year)
*1989-1996: +3,020 people per year (+2.8% per year)
*1996-2009: +3,382 people per year (+2.4% per year)
*2009-2014: +3,106 people per year (+1.8% per year)
*2014-2019: +562 people per year (+0.3% per year)

===Migrations===
The places of birth of the 179,509 residents in the Greater Nouméa urban area at the 2014 census were the following:<ref name=censusdetail>{{cite web|url=http://www.isee.nc/component/phocadownload/category/193-recensement?download=1442:rp-2014-population-logement-menages-communes|title=Recensement de la population de 2014 – Population, ménages et logements par communes de Nouvelle Calédonie|publisher=ISEE|access-date=2018-01-02|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025024348/http://www.isee.nc/component/phocadownload/category/193-recensement?download=1442:rp-2014-population-logement-menages-communes|archive-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>
*66.7% were born in New Caledonia
*21.2% in [[Place:Metropolitan France|Metropolitan France]] and its overseas departments (other than Wallis-and-Futuna and French Polynesia)
*6.3% in foreign countries (notably Indonesia, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Algeria)
*5.8% in Wallis and Futuna (essentially) and French Polynesia (to a lesser extent)

===Ethnic communities===
The self-reported ethnic communities of the 182,341 residents in the Greater Nouméa urban area at the 2019 census were as follows:<ref name=censusdetail />
*30.65% [[Biography:White people|Europeans]]
*26.36% Kanaks (original Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia)
*11.66% Wallisians and Futunians
*12.59% [[Social:Multiracial|mixed ethnicity]]
*18.75% other communities (this group includes in particular the White people of New Caledonia who refused to self-identify as "Europeans")

===Languages===
At the 2009 census, 98.7% of the population in the Greater Nouméa urban area whose age was 15 years old and older reported that they could speak French. 97.1% reported that they could also read and write it. Only 1.3% of the population whose age was 15 years old and older had no knowledge of French.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isee.nc/population/telecharxls/commune-prov-rp-2009.xls|title=P19 Population de 15 ans et plus, selon le sexe et la connaissance du français, par commune et province de résidence|publisher=ISEE|access-date=2013-10-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017182011/http://www.isee.nc/population/telecharxls/commune-prov-rp-2009.xls|archive-date=17 October 2013}}</ref>

At the same census, 20.8% of the population in the Greater Nouméa urban area whose age was 15 years old and older reported that they could speak at least one of the Kanak languages. 4.3% reported that they could understand a Kanak language but not speak it. 74.9% of the population whose age was 15 years old and older had no knowledge of any Kanak language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isee.nc/population/telecharxls/commune-prov-rp-2009.xls|title=P21 Population de 15 ans et plus, selon le sexe et la connaissance d'une langue kanak, par commune et province de résidence|publisher=ISEE|access-date=2013-10-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017182011/http://www.isee.nc/population/telecharxls/commune-prov-rp-2009.xls|archive-date=17 October 2013}}</ref>

==Economy==
Although it is not currently a major tourist destination, {{As of|2007|lc=y}} Nouméa is one of the most rapidly growing cities in the Pacific and has experienced a major housing construction boom in the preceding decade. The installation of amenities has kept pace and the municipality boasts a public works programme.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} The mayor of Noumea is Sonia Lagarde; in 2020 her re-election was opposed by the former leader of the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises (CPME), Cherifa Linossier, whose unsuccessful campaign was based on local economic revitalisation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 October 2021|title=Chérifa Linossier candidate à la mairie de Nouméa pour les municipales – No|url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/province-sud/noumea/cherifa-linossier-candidate-mairie-noumea-municipales-794485.html|access-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030222944/https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/province-sud/noumea/cherifa-linossier-candidate-mairie-noumea-municipales-794485.html|archive-date=30 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=30 October 2021|title=Chérifa Linossier se lance dans la course aux municipales à Nouméa {{!}} LNC.nc {{!}} Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes, le Journal de Nouvelle Calédonie|url=https://www.lnc.nc/breve/cherifa-linossier-se-lance-dans-la-course-aux-municipales-a-noumea|access-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030224634/https://www.lnc.nc/breve/cherifa-linossier-se-lance-dans-la-course-aux-municipales-a-noumea|archive-date=30 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=29 June 2020|title=Second round of New Caledonian municipal elections finally held|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/420082/second-round-of-new-caledonian-municipal-elections-finally-held|access-date=30 October 2021|website=RNZ|language=en-nz}}</ref>

==Transport==
Aircalin, the international airline of New Caledonia,<ref>"[http://us.aircalin.com/contact-aircalin.php Contact Us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601195747/http://us.aircalin.com/contact-aircalin.php |date=1 June 2009 }}." Aircalin. Retrieved on 2 October 2009.</ref> and Air Calédonie (Aircal), the domestic airline, have their headquarters in the city.<ref>"[http://air-caledonie.nc:8080/en/ukcontact.htm AIR CALÉDONIE CONTACTS]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." Air Calédonie. Retrieved on 2 October 2009.</ref> Aircal's headquarters are on the grounds of Nouméa Magenta Airport,<ref>"[http://www.air-caledonie.nc/fr/pdf/carte_renew_nb.pdf Renouvellement de Carte Résident] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530002353/http://www.air-caledonie.nc/fr/pdf/carte_renew_nb.pdf |date=30 May 2009 }}." Air Calédonie. Retrieved on 8 October 2009.</ref>
which serves local routes. Nouméa's international airport is La Tontouta International Airport, {{convert|50|km|mi}} from the city.

The Nouméa-Païta railway, which was the only railway line that ever existed in New Caledonia, was closed in 1940.

==Education==
[[File:Main building at Nouville campus, University of New Caledonia.png|thumb|250px|University of New Caledonia, Nouville campus, 2011]]
[[File:Exterior view of Bernheim Library, Nouméa.png|thumb|250px|Bernheim Library exterior, 2011]]
[[File:Interior View 2 of Bernheim Library, Noumea.png|thumb|250px|Bernheim Library interior, 2011]]
The University of New Caledonia (UNC) goes back to 1987 when the Université Française du Pacifique (French University of the Pacific) was created, with two centres, one in French Polynesia and the other in New Caledonia. In 1997 the decision was made to split the two parts into separate universities and so in 1999 the Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie and the Université de la Polynésie Française were formed.

UNC welcomes around 3,000 local and international students and 100 professors and researchers each year.<ref>"{{cite web |url=http://www.univ-nc.nc/propos-de-lunc/presentation |title=Histoire |access-date=2012-01-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119221009/http://www.univ-nc.nc/propos-de-lunc/presentation |archive-date=19 January 2012}} Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Retrieved on 5 January 2012.</ref>

The ''Bibliothèque Bernheim'' (Bernheim Library) is located in Nouméa.<ref>"[http://www.bernheim.nc/distribution.asp?page=information/vico.asp&inter=0&num=5&parcours=information/paco.asp coordonnées & horaires] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316185105/http://www.bernheim.nc/distribution.asp?page=information%2Fvico.asp&inter=0&num=5&parcours=information%2Fpaco.asp |date=16 March 2011 }}." Bibliothèque Bernheim. Retrieved on 12 February 2011.</ref>

The city is home to several museums, including the Maritime Museum of New Caledonia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wéry|first=Claudine|date=2005-04-08|title='What news of Lapérouse?'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2005/apr/08/guardianweekly.guardianweekly11|access-date=2022-01-21|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
Nouméa is twinned with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Villes jumelles|url=https://www.noumea.nc/decouvrir-noumea/villes-jumelles|website=noumea.nc|date=5 February 2013|publisher=Nouméa|language=fr|access-date=2020-07-20}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|AUS}} Gold Coast, Australia
*{{flagicon|FRA}} Nice, France
*{{flagicon|PYF}} [[Place:Papeete|Papeete]], French Polynesia
*{{flagicon|NZL}} Taupō, New Zealand

==Popular culture==
* New Caledonia was the favorite liberty port in the Pacific of the crew of the ''PT-73'' in the American television series ''McHale's Navy''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0055689/trivia |title=IMDbPro |publisher=Pro.imdb.com |access-date=2017-11-06}}</ref>
* Sydney-based author Nathan J. Roche set his 2014 novel ''The Nouméa Neurosis'', a satirical prose account of cycling, in and around Nouméa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thethousands.com.au/sydney/read/nathan-j-roche-the-noumea-neurosis--2 |title=READ - Nathan J Roche, 'The Nouméa Neurosis' - Two Thousand |access-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406103529/http://thethousands.com.au/sydney/read/nathan-j-roche-the-noumea-neurosis--2 |archive-date=6 April 2016}}</ref>{{-}}
* On Season 5, Episode 2 of Love Boat the crew stopped in Nouméa. Donna Dixon and Gary Frank guest-starred along with Jose Ferrer and Harry Morgan.

==Notable people==
* Marianne Devaux - Politician
* Ilaïsaane Lauouvéa - Politician
* Gilles Pisier - Mathematician
* Peato Mauvaka - Rugby Union Player

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Nouméa}}
*{{Wikivoyage-inline}}
*[https://www.newcaledonia.travel/ Official Site for New Caledonia Tourism]
*{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20050328065902/http://www.ac-noumea.nc/laperouse/site-hg/site/ Nouméa: Commune Française du Bout du Monde] – a school project on the geography and history of Nouméa



{{DEFAULTSORT:Noumea}}
[[Category:Capitals in Oceania]]
[[Category:Port cities in Oceania]]

{{Sourceattribution|Nouméa}}