About Noumea
Nouméa is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia. The first European to establish a settlement in the vicinity was British trader James Paddon in 1851. Anxious 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. This settlement was initially called Port-de-France and was renamed Nouméa in 1866. Nouméa features a tropical wet and dry climate with hot summers and warm winters.