New France
In 1763, France had ceded the rest of New France, except the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, to Great Britain and Spain at the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Seven Years' War (known as the French and Indian War in North America and especially the United States). Britain received Canada, Acadia, and the parts of French Louisiana which lay east of the Mississippi Riverexcept for the Île d'Orléans, which was granted to Spain, along with the territory to the westthe larger portion of Louisiana.
Vichy France
In New Caledonia, Henri Sautot promptly declared allegiance to the Free French, effective 19 September 1940. Due to its location on the edge of the Coral Sea and on the flank of Australia, New Caledonia became strategically critical in the effort to combat the Japanese advance in the Pacific in 1941–1942 and to protect the sea lanes between North America and Australia. Nouméa served as a headquarters of the United States Navy and Army in the South Pacific, and as a repair base for Allied vessels. New Caledonia contributed personnel both to the "Bataillon du Pacifique" and to the Free French Naval Forces that saw action in the Pacific and Indian Ocean.