New Caledonia is an archipelago of islands in the southwest Pacific, around 750 miles east of Australia and 900 miles north of New Zealand, consisting of the main island of Grand Terre and several smaller islands. British explorer James Cook gave New Caledonia its name in 1774 but by the middle of the following century, the islands were under French control, a situation that remains up to today, with the territory designated as an overseas department of France. Nouméa, the main city and capital, is home to more than a third of New Caledonian's population of around a quarter of a million people and it's here that the national teams play their football, rugby, cricket and basketball matches. Unfortunately, golf has still to catch on with the locals, although there are three courses in New Caledonia.