Other Pacific Islanders have made New Caledonia home, as have a significant number of Indonesians and Vietnamese. While French is the official language, many people on New Caledonia Island also speak English. However, communicating in English may be more difficult on the outer islands. There are also 28 local Polynesian and Melanesian dialects. Primary and secondary education is free.
Some tertiary education is also available.
Although most people now live in more substantial structures of cement, wood or corrugated iron, traditional homes can still be seen in villages, where they are used as village meeting places. Modest modern clothes are now the norm. The main industries are mining, tourism, mariculture and agriculture. New Caledonia is the world's third largest nickel producer and is also rich in iron ore, manganese, silver and cobalt. About 100,000 tourists visit each year as holiday makers and cruise ship passengers, and there plans to double this.