Ship Repair Unit AD-40 Naval Cover 1944 WWII NAVY #131 Noumea, New Caledonia

Item Specifics

Catalog Number

131

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Cover (Postal History)

Stamp Format

Single

Item Description

Ship Repair Unit AD-40 Naval Cover 1944 WWII NAVY #131 Noumea, New Caledonia

It was sent 23 Jul 1944. It was franked with stamp "Air Mail". It was sent from John Krulatz to Grace Meyer of Porterfield, WI.

This cover is in good, but not perfect condition. Please look at the scan and make your own judgement. 

Member USCS #10385 (I also earned the stamp collecting merit badge as a boy!). Please contact me if you have specific cover needs. I have thousands for sale, including; navals (USS, USNS, USCGC, Coast Guard, ship, Maritime), military posts, event, APO, hotel, postal history, memoribilia, etc. I also offer approvals service with FREE SHIPPING to repeat USA customers.

Nouméa (French pronunciation: ​[numea]) is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian (Wallisians, Futunians, Tahitians), Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific's most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deepwater harbour that serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.

At the September 2019 census, there were 182,341 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Greater Nouméa (French: agglomération du Grand Nouméa), 94,285 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Nouméa proper.[3] 67.2% of the population of New Caledonia live in Greater Nouméa, which covers the communes of Nouméa, Le Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta.

Contents

1 History

2 Geography

3 Demographics

3.1 Historical population

3.2 Migrations

3.3 Ethnic communities

3.4 Languages

4 Climate

5 Economy

6 Transport

7 Education

8 Twin towns – sister cities

9 Popular culture

10 References

11 External links

History

The first European to establish a settlement in the vicinity was British trader James Paddon in 1851. Anxious to assert control of the island, the French established a settlement nearby three years later in 1854, moving from Balade in the north of the island. This settlement was initially called Port-de-France and was renamed Nouméa in 1866. The area served first as a penal colony, later as a centre for the exportation of the nickel and gold that was mined nearby.

From 1904 to 1940 Nouméa was linked to Dumbéa and Païta by the Nouméa-Païta railway, the only railway line that ever existed in New Caledonia.

During World War II, Nouméa served as the headquarters of the United States military in the South Pacific. The five-sided U.S. military headquarters complex was adopted after the war as the base for a new regional intergovernmental development organisation: the South Pacific Commission, later known as the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and later still as the Pacific Community.

The city maintains much of New Caledonia's unique mix of French and old Melanesian culture. Even today the US wartime military influence lingers, both with the warmth that many New Caledonian people feel towards the United States after experiencing the relative friendliness of American soldiers and also with the names of several of the quarters in Nouméa. Districts such as "Receiving" and "Robinson", or even "Motor Pool", strike the anglophone ear strangely, until the historical context becomes clear.

Geography

The city is situated on an irregular, hilly peninsula near the southeast end of New Caledonia, which is in the south-west Pacific Ocean.[citation needed]

Neighbourhoods of Nouméa include:[4]

Rivière-Salée

6e km, 7e km, Normandie, and Tina

Ducos Peninsula:

Ducos, Ducos industriel, Kaméré, Koumourou, Logicoop, Numbo, Tindu

4e Km, Aérodrome, Haut Magenta, Magenta, Ouémo, and Portes de fer

Faubourg Blanchot and Vallée des Colons

Doniambo, Montagne coupée, Montravel, and Vallée du tir

Artillerie Nord, Centre Ville, Nouville, Quartier Latin, Vallée du Génie

Anse Vata, Artillerie Sud, Baie des Citrons, Motor Pool, N'géa, Orphelinat, Receiving, Trianon, and Val Plaisance

Demographics

A woman at a market in Nouméa, 2006

The Greater Nouméa urban area (French: agglomération du Grand Nouméa) had a total population of 182,341 inhabitants at the September 2019 census, 94,285 of whom lived in the commune of Nouméa proper.[5]

The Greater Nouméa urban area is made up of four communes:

Nouméa (94,285 inh.)

Dumbéa (35,873 inh.), to the north-west of Nouméa

Le Mont-Dore (27,620 inh.), to the north-east of Nouméa

Païta (24,563 inh.), a suburb to the west of Dumbéa and the site of La Tontouta International Airport

Historical population

1956 1963 1969 1976 1983 1989 1996 2009 2014 2019

Nouméa (commune) 22,235 34,990 41,853 56,078 60,112 65,110 76,293 97,579 99,926 94,285

Greater Nouméa 25,204 39,996 50,488 74,335 85,098 97,581 118,823 163,723 179,509 182,341

Official figures from population censuses.[3][6]

Average population growth of the Greater Nouméa urban area:

1956-1963: +2,310 people per year (+7.5% per year)

1963-1969: +1,791 people per year (+4.1% per year)

1969-1976: +3,349 people per year (+5.6% per year)

1976-1983: +1,543 people per year (+2.0% per year)

1983-1989: +2,091 people per year (+2.3% per year)

1989-1996: +3,020 people per year (+2.8% per year)

1996-2009: +3,382 people per year (+2.4% per year)

2009-2014: +3,106 people per year (+1.8% per year)

2014-2019: +566 people per year (+0.3% per year)

Migrations

The places of birth of the 179,509 residents in the Greater Nouméa urban area at the 2014 census were the following:[7]

66.7% were born in New Caledonia

21.2% in Metropolitan France and its overseas departments (other than Wallis-and-Futuna and French Polynesia)

6.3% in foreign countries (notably Indonesia, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Algeria)

5.8% in Wallis and Futuna (essentially) and French Polynesia (to a lesser extent)

Ethnic communities

The self-reported ethnic communities of the 179,509 residents in the Greater Nouméa urban area at the 2014 census were as follows:[7]

34.5% Europeans

23.4% Kanaks (original Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia)

11.5% Wallisians and Futunians

10.0% mixed ethnicity

20.5% other communities (this group includes in particular the White people of New Caledonia who refused to self-identify as "Europeans")

Languages

At the 2009 census, 98.7% of the population in the Greater Nouméa urban area whose age was 15 years old and older reported that they could speak French. 97.1% reported that they could also read and write it. Only 1.3% of the population whose age was 15 years old and older had no knowledge of French.[8]

At the same census, 20.8% of the population in the Greater Nouméa urban area whose age was 15 years old and older reported that they could speak at least one of the Kanak languages. 4.3% reported that they could understand a Kanak language but not speak it. 74.9% of the population whose age was 15 years old and older had no knowledge of any Kanak language.[9]

Climate

Nouméa features a tropical wet and dry climate with hot summers and warm winters. Temperatures are warmer in the months of January, February and March with average highs hovering around 30 degrees Celsius and cooler during the months of July and August where average high temperatures are around 23 degrees Celsius. The capital’s dry season months are September and October. The rest of the year is noticeably wetter. Nouméa on average receives roughly 1,100 mm (43 in) of precipitation annually.

Climate data for Noumea, New Caledonia

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average high °C (°F) 28.9

(84.0) 29.0

(84.2) 28.5

(83.3) 26.9

(80.4) 25.2

(77.4) 23.8

(74.8) 22.6

(72.7) 22.8

(73.0) 23.8

(74.8) 25.5

(77.9) 27.0

(80.6) 28.2

(82.8) 26.0

(78.8)

Daily mean °C (°F) 26.0

(78.8) 26.1

(79.0) 25.6

(78.1) 24.1

(75.4) 22.5

(72.5) 21.1

(70.0) 20.0

(68.0) 20.5

(68.9) 21.1

(70.0) 22.4

(72.3) 23.9

(75.0) 25.0

(77.0) 23.2

(73.7)

Average low °C (°F) 23.0

(73.4) 23.2

(73.8) 22.8

(73.0) 21.4

(70.5) 19.8

(67.6) 18.5

(65.3) 17.3

(63.1) 17.5

(63.5) 17.9

(64.2) 19.2

(66.6) 20.7

(69.3) 21.9

(71.4) 20.3

(68.5)

Average precipitation mm (inches) 112.9

(4.44) 123.1

(4.85) 134.6

(5.30) 110.5

(4.35) 90.6

(3.57) 128.7

(5.07) 73.0

(2.87) 70.1

(2.76) 39.2

(1.54) 53.2

(2.09) 62.9

(2.48) 72.7

(2.86) 1,071.5

(42.18)

Average precipitation days 14.2 14.2 17.1 15.0 16.8 17.3 15.9 13.1 9.6 9.3 10.3 11.3 164.1

Mean monthly sunshine hours 232.5 209.0 201.5 198.0 176.7 156.0 182.9 201.5 222.0 251.1 249.0 260.4 2,540.6

Source: Hong Kong Observatory[10]

Economy

Although Nouméa has more sunshine days than any other Pacific Island capital and beaches not far from the city centre, it is not currently a major tourist destination.

Nouméa is, as of 2007, one of the most rapidly growing cities in the Pacific and has experienced a major housing construction boom in the preceding decade. The installation of amenities has kept pace and the municipality boasts a public works programme.

Transport

Aircalin, the international airline of New Caledonia,[11] and Air Calédonie (Aircal), the domestic airline, have their headquarters in the city.[12] Aircal's headquarters are on the grounds of Nouméa Magenta Airport,[13] which serves local routes. Nouméa's international airport is La Tontouta International Airport, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the city.

The Nouméa-Païta railway, which was the only railway line that ever existed in New Caledonia, was closed in 1940.

Education

University of New Caledonia, Nouville campus

Bernheim Library exterior

Bernheim Library interior

The University of New Caledonia (UNC) goes back to 1987 when the Université Française du Pacifique (French University of the Pacific) was created, with two centres, one in French Polynesia and the other in New Caledonia. In 1997 the decision was made to split the two parts into separate universities and so in 1999 the Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie and the Université de la Polynésie Française were formed.

UNC welcomes around 3,000 local and international students and 100 professors and researchers each year.[14]

The Bibliothèque Bernheim (Bernheim Library) is located in Nouméa.[15]

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RNallenweg (667)

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