Bourail

Bourail
An aerial view of the centre of Bourail
Location of the commune (in red) within New Caledonia
Coordinates: 21°34′12″S 165°28′49″E / 21.5701°S 165.4804°E / -21.5701; 165.4804Coordinates: 21°34′12″S 165°28′49″E / 21.5701°S 165.4804°E / -21.5701; 165.4804
Country	France
Sui generis collectivity	New Caledonia
Province	South Province
Government
• Mayor	Brigitte El-Arbi
Area1	797.6 km2 (308.0 sq mi)
Population (2014 census)2	5,444
• Density	6.8/km2 (18/sq mi)
Ethnic distribution
• 1996 census	Europeans 55.6% Kanaks 34.8% Polynesians 3.3% Other 6.3%
INSEE/Postal code	98803 / 98870
Elevation	0–1,438 m (0–4,718 ft) (avg. 10 m or 33 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. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

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.

Bourail is a commune in the South Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.

Bourail a rural town of Grande Terre (New Caledonia's main island). The municipality stretches between the mountain ranges running the length of New Caledonia down to the sea. Beaches attract tourists but have retained their natural landscapes, and are popular with surfers. The town lies at the confluence of several rivers, is the crossroads of many valleys Boghen, Bacouya, Nessadiou, Nera, Tene, La Pouéo ...

The territory of the municipality has various natural landscapes:

With a density of 6 inhabitants / km ², Bourail has a mix rural and town life.

Bourail means "lizard's tail."

This comes from Bu Rhaï in the language ajie, Bu meaning "tail" and Rhaï "the lizard".

The slogan of Bourail used for tourism is "Bourail, land of emotions."

5444 inhabitants (2014)

The average age of the population is under 30 years.

Most young people from Bourail continue their studies in Nouméa. To mitigate this requirement, the town has seen several more schools built. There are about 2000 children attending schools up to high school level, but there is no university.

The inhabitants are called Bouraillais (es), they are nicknamed "Pattes Jaunes", literally "yellow legs" (referring to one of the birds of the region: common Mynas).

The Pole Antoni Berezowski, who in 1867 tried in Paris to assassinate the emperor Alexander II of Russia, lived in exile in Bourail from 1886 until his death in 1916.

Agriculture has historically been the mainstay of the community. Livestock consists mainly of cattle but also pigs, deer, poultry and beekeeping. Maize and potatoes are the main arable crops, while subsistence farming is also common. The town is often considered the "capital of the Bush" (referring to the rural area of New Caledonia outside of Nouméa and it's satellite towns), particularly through the annual Bourail Agricultural Fair.

The beaches are open to all activities of the sea and the lagoon. During spawning season, several species of turtles nest on the beaches, and the nests are tagged and guarded. On the beach of Roche Percee, crates are arranged in nests by volunteers to protect the eggs until they hatch. On this coast there are both surf beaches and areas of water sheltered by reefs. Divers can explore the underwater wonders that are now a UNESCO World Heritage of Humanity.