Half of the population is С, including most of the Europeans, Uveans, and Vietnamese and half of the Melanesian and Tahitian minorities.
New Caledonia is part of Zealandia, a fragment of the ancient Gondwana super-continent. Zealandia separated from Australia 60–85 million years ago. It is speculated that New Caledonia separated from Australia roughly 66 million years ago, subsequently drifting in a north-easterly direction, reaching its present position about 50 million years ago.
New Caledonia has a special status of sui generis collectivity of France. It is located in the subregion of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific.