New Caledonia, the foreshortened form of Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies is an overseas territory of France, made up of a main island (Grande Terre) and several smaller islands. The Grande Terre is an island about 400km long and 50km wide, completely surrounded by a barrier reef. It has hundreds of remote sandy coral islands scattered in the lagoon with spectacular underwater life. The wind blows regularly making New Caledonia an ideal site for kitesurfing. You can find the perfect shallow reef flats to learn, improve your style or go freestyle. You will be able to play in the waves formed in the channels in the barrier reef. The diversity of the sites in New Caledonia makes this one of the best place in the world to kitesurf, either for beginners or experts. New Caledonia lies astride the Tropic of Capricorn, between 19° and 23° south latitude. The climate of the islands is tropical, and rainfall is highly seasonal, brought by trade winds that usually come from the east. Rainfall averages about 1,500 millimetres (59 in) yearly on the Loyalty Islands, 2,000 millimetres (79 in) at low elevations on eastern the Grande Terre, and 2,000-4,000 millimetres (79–157.5 in) at high elevations on the Grande Terre. The western side of the Grande Terre lies in the rain shadow of the central mountains, and rainfall averages 1,200 millimetres (47 in) per year.