New Caledonia

New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie) is a special collectivity of France. The archipelago in the South Pacific consists of one large, mountainous island called La Grande Terre (nicknamed Le Caillou "the Pebble" by French-speaking locals) and several smaller islands: the three Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, and the Isle of Pines. Although the official language is French, the culture is a blend of Melanesian, European, Polynesian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian, and more. The original inhabitants, Kanak people, are the majority population in the North Province and the Loyalty Islands Province. People of European descent (Caldoches and Metropolitan French), Polynesian people (mostly Wallisians), and Southeast Asian people, as well as a few people of Pied-Noir and North African descent, are the majority in the South Province.

The Boulinda Massif in Poya, North Province, is the location of two Doors into Headquarters in World One. The first door, 1-Nou-1, was formed during the Cascade. A PPC city later grew near the location of this door, and a second, 1-Nou-2, was created to provide easier access to the city center. Naturally, hardly anyone knows about it.

Within the PPC, "New Caledonia" is almost always used metonymically to refer to "the PPC city in New Caledonia."

Geography

 * Wikipedia: New Caledonia § Geography
 * 360 Cities: New Caledonia

New Caledonia is the closest South Pacific Island to Australia and New Zealand. The mainland is divided in length by a central mountain range high enough to create a rain shadow. Most of the island, particularly the east coast, is covered by wet evergreen forests. The west coast, with its large savannahs and plains suitable for farming, is a drier area. Many ore-rich massifs, including Boulinda, are found along this coast. Nickel mining is the primary industry and is the major contributor to the high standard of living in the country.

La Grande Terre is surrounded by the New Caledonia Barrier Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world. The protected lagoon created by this barrier reef is one of the largest in the world.

The islands are remarkably unpopulated and there are vast areas of wilderness. There are hundreds of kilometers of walking treks, camp grounds, more than 42 parks and reserves, and crystal clear rivers with sparkling waterfalls. The vibrant, clear, and rich colors are one of the first things that visitors notice when they arrive.

Climate
The climate is tropical, with a hot and humid season from November to March with temperatures between 27 °C and 30 °C, and a cooler, dry season from June to August with temperatures between 20 °C and 23 °C, linked by two short interstices. The tropical climate is strongly moderated by the oceanic influence and the trade winds that attenuate humidity, which can be close to 80%. The average annual temperature is 23 °C, with historical extremes of 2.3 °C and 39.1 °C.

Precipitation differs greatly within the island. The 3,000 millimeters (120 in) of rainfall recorded in Galarino are three times the average of the west coast. There are also dry periods, because of the effects of El Niño. Between December and April, tropical depressions and cyclones can cause winds to exceed a speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph), with gusts of 250 kilometers per hour (160 mph) and very abundant rainfall.

The PPC City
The PPC's city in the mountains of New Caledonia doesn't exactly have a name. It is variously referred to as "New Caledonia," "New Cal," or "La Calédonie," depending on who is doing the speaking.

The original door to HQ is located in the mountains of Poya, New Caledonia, at the coordinates 21.2688° S, 165.1086° E, about 800 meters above sea level. It is designated 1-Nou-1.


 * My Google Maps satellite view of the city.


 * A PPC Agent's Guide to La Calédonie

Streets
With one exception (the Rue des Fleurs), streets in the city are named in honour of specific deceased and/or retired PPC personnel. Known streets are:


 * North-South
 * In the north residential district ("American Quarter")
 * The Rue Elisabeth (base line)
 * The Chemin de Poppy
 * The Rue Anya (base line)
 * In the city center
 * The Rue Imbolc Telyan
 * The Rue Salok
 * The Ruelle Andronicus
 * The Rue Jay Thorntree (base line)
 * The Ruelle Entropy
 * The Rue Fait-des-Choses
 * The Rue Nicholas Duval
 * The Rue Tawaki Penguin
 * In the south residential district ("French Quarter")
 * The Rue Verra Rose (base line)


 * East-West
 * In the north residential district ("American Quarter")
 * The Chemin de Wisteria
 * The Rue Josephine
 * The Rue Suzay
 * The Rue Anastasia Spade
 * The Rue Emily Newton
 * The Rue Radix
 * The Rue Ella Darcy
 * In the city center
 * The Rue Acacia Byrd
 * The Ruelle Harlan
 * The Rue des Fleurs (base line)
 * The Ruelle Cameron
 * The Rue Bart Ronson
 * The Ruelle Constance Sims
 * The Rue Dafydd Illian
 * In the south residential district ("French Quarter")
 * The Rue Jann Pablum
 * The Rue Algernon Bogglish

Businesses

 * Aujourd'hui, a nightclub that offers "24-hour music and a dance floor that has to be seen to be believed."
 * Big Murphy's store, a weapon shop, can be found on a corner of the Rue Ella Darcy, not far from the park at Rue Ella and Rue Jay. Big Murphy himself lives in a flat close to the store.
 * C.A. Milverton's, "For All Your Discreet, Personal NEEDS."
 * Chez Thorondil, one of the first businesses opened in the town centre. It's not entirely clear what they sell, since they keep changing their minds.
 * The Multiversal Sportplex, a sporting venue that hosts boxing and other athletic events.
 * The Parc Aristophane is a cricket pitch.
 * Tour Prend Pion Pawnshop, located at 104 Rue Fait-des-Choses du Nord.

Restaurants
The city boasts a decently-sized eating district with restaurants and eateries to suit all tastes and continua:


 * Abbot's Bakery specialises in Redwall-influenced pastries.
 * Deepdelver's Tavern, a Discworld-style establishment that serves rat-based food and does surprisingly good business.
 * La Trattoria, an Italian place. Their menu features a large pasta selection, some meat and seafood, and two or three pizzas.
 * Le Cagou Ice Cream Parlor is named for the kagu bird, which is native to New Caledonia. It just takes the French spelling. The sign has a cartoon-y kagu bird on it, happily posing beside an ice cream sundae in a bowl.
 * Nakamura's, a Japanese place.
 * New Calzonea, a typical pizza place. Casual and fun for kids.
 * Sabor del Mar, a Spanish tapas place on the town square.
 * Sana's Café, a restaurant owned by Shafiq and Sana Beydoun.

Other Sites

 * There is a clock tower on the northeast corner of the intersection of the Rue Jay Thorntree and Rue des Fleurs, which may keep military time&mdash;it goes to at least 17.
 * The Appetiser is the building that forms the base of the clock tower. It houses Door 1-Nou-2, which opens onto the Rue Jay Thorntree.
 * The Hospital is located at the intersection of the Rue Dafydd Illian and the Rue Imbolc Telyan.
 * Across the corner from the clock tower is a small stage for musicians.
 * There is a park at the intersection of the Rue Jay Thorntree and Rue Ella Darcy.
 * Agent Monty's pond is to the west of town.
 * The Musée des Univers Perdus is on the opposite side of the city from Monty's pond and near Club Aujourd'hui. It has a plaza in front of it.
 * There a TARDIS dock with repair facilities.
 * A cemetery on a hill with a cliff on the south face, where the grave of Makes-Things is located. Given the return of Makes-Things and his own insistence that he never died to begin with, it's unknown just who is buried in "his" grave; agents have tried to find out, but the DIA's New Caledonia division have guards posted at the cemetery at all times to prevent whomever is buried from being exhumed.
 * A farmer's field just south of the cemetery hill, beneath the cliff face.
 * A DIA branch office, headed by the Yertis, is located in the city.
 * A branch of the Mini-Balrog Adoption Centre is located in the city.
 * The Parc J.R.R. Tolkien is located near Door 1-Nou-2 within the city. It has picnic shelters.
 * A few dozen meters along the road from Door 1-Nou-1, a side path leads to a flat hilltop with a view of the City and, very distantly, Poya Bay.

Accommodation
Increasingly, the city in New Caledonia is being turned over to residential areas, particularly for agents with families. In contrast to the traditional response center, the city provides a reasonably stable, reasonably sane environment for children to be raised in, while still giving their parents rapid access to HQ.


 * Known residents:
 * Angus MacFarlane and his daughter, Sophie
 * Nita Kerys
 * Nyx Nightingale, Dassie Hyrax, and their children

Macrovirus Epidemic
When the League of Mary Sue Factories unleashed a macrovirus in Headquarters, the city became a hub for agents, each needing somewhere to park their TARDIS and meet with friends while HQ was under quarantine.

MyMiniCity


In Real Life, the idea of a PPC city in New Caledonia came from the random-city-generating game MyMiniCity, which explains the former grid layout. According to Huinesoron, this location was chosen because there weren't many cities there yet, so there was a chance of topping the leaderboard. The most densely populated part of the map is pictured at right with the center marked by a star.

Amusingly, it has the moniker Ville Fleurie, which means roughly "City of Flowers."

Clicking
Clicking on any of the links below will take you to the PPC-HQ MiniCity in New Caledonia. However, you need to choose your link carefully – your first visit to the site every day (French time) will give the city +1 of the thing you click the link for. You only get one click per day, so choose wisely!

As of July 2019, we could use more industry.

If you click on a link and find that something is needed, or that something is no longer needed, then please return here and edit the above line accordingly.


 * Link to increase population
 * Link to increase industry
 * Link to increase transport network
 * Link to increase security
 * Link to increase environment
 * Link to increase business