Noumea is the capital and vacation centre of New Caledonia. Noumea is a "French" city but the 98,000 inhabitants are a very mixed cultural group with French, Melanesian, Polynesian, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and lots of mixtures of these.

Noumea is built on a peninsula on the south-western end of Grande Terre and the central business district (Centre Ville) is next to one of the best natural harbours in the South Pacific. The southeast side of the peninsula has two picturesque bays with white sand beaches called Anse Vata and Baie des Citrons. These twin bays are the international tourism capital of New Caledonia with hotels, restaurants and bars on the landward side of "La Promenade."

First settled by the French in 1854, Noumea retains close political ties with France. It has excellent schools and public facilities - parks, recreation areas, exercise paths, schools and medical facilities. Today it is the fastest growing city in the South Pacific. There are 23 hotels in Noumea ranging from one to five stars and over 100 Restaurants serving foods from many different nationalities.