Though best known for its stunning lagoon, pristine beaches and diverse wildlife, New Caledonia's economy actually relies heavily on nickel, discovered here in the 19th century.
The price of nickel -- essential to the manufacture of stainless steel -- has plunged 35 percent so far this year to a six-and-a-half year low of less than US$10,000 (9,000 euros) a tonne.
A slowdown in economic growth in China, the world's biggest consumer of nickel, and stockpiles of the metal amounting to more than 450,000 tonnes, have depressed the market.
