New Caledonia is an overseas possession of France. It lies in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) northeast of Sydney, Australia. New Caledonia consists of one main island, also called New Caledonia, or Grand Terre; the Loyalty Islands; the Belep Islands; the Isle of Pines; and a few uninhabited islands. The mountainous main island covers 6,321 square miles (16,372 square kilometers). The rest of the islands have a total area of only 851 square miles (2,203 square kilometers).