Hienghène

Commune in New Caledonia, France

Location of Hienghène

Coordinates: (2020–2026) Bernard Ouillatte^[1]Area

1,068.8 km² (412.7 sq mi)Population

(2019 census)^[2]

2,454 • Density2.3/km² (5.9/sq mi)Ethnic distribution

• 2019 censusKanaks 94.17%
Europeans 2.36%
Wallisians and Futunans 0.12%
Mixed 2.61%
Other 0.73%Time zoneUTC+11:00INSEE/Postal code

98807 /98815

Elevation0–1,628 m (0–5,341 ft)
(avg. 20 m or 66 ft)¹ New Caledonia Land Register (DITTT) data, which exclude lakes and ponds larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers.

Hienghène ([jəŋ.ɡɛːn];^[3]^[4] Fwâi: Hyehen) is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located on a bay called Hienghène Bay, known for its eroded limestone islets.^[5]

The islets are remnants of a limestone and silica formation that once covered the whole of the bay, some 40 million years ago.^[5] Erosion from wind and water carved away the softer limestone, leaving the harder silica behind in eye-catching formations. Several of these formations have been given fanciful names, such as the Sphinx, the Towers of Notre Dame, and the Hen (pictured).^[5]

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
^ Population, ménages et logement par commune, en 2019, Institut de la statistique et des études économiques Nouvelle-Calédonie
^ Wallis, Mary Davis (25 June 1994). The Fiji and New Caledonia Journals of Mary Wallis, 1851-1853. [email protected]. ISBN 9789820200951 – via Google Books.
^ Stanley, David (3 December 2004). Moon Handbooks South Pacific. David Stanley. p. 858. ISBN 9781566914116 – via Internet Archive. Hienghène pronunciation.
^ ^a ^b ^c Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 179. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.