Map of French Polynesia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995 France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996.


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Location: Oceania archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean about one-half of the way from South America to Australia

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S 140 00 W

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Comparative: slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2,525 km

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical but moderate

Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Elevation

Natural resources: timber fish cobalt hydropower

Land use

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional cyclonic storms in January

Geography
Note: includes five archipelagoes; Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru


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Population: 249,110 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 1.78% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Polynesian 78% Chinese 12% local French 6% metropolitan French 4%

Languages: French (official) Tahitian (official)

Religions: Protestant 54% Roman Catholic 30% other 16%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.78% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 19.01 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 4.41 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.14 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 9.3 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: NA

Capital: Papeete

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises Archipel des Tuamotu Archipel des Tubuai Iles du Vent and Iles Sous-le-Vent

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas territory of France)

National holiday: National Day Taking of the Bastille 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: based on French system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif

Political parties and leaders: Centrist Union or UC [leader NA]; Entente Polynesian [Arthur CHUNG]; Haere i Mua [Alexandre LEONTIEFF]; Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; Independent Party (Ia Mana Te Nunaa) [Jacques DROLLET]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; Polynesian Union Party (includes Te Tiarama and Pupu Here Ai'a Party) [Jean JUVENTIN]; Pupu Taina [Michel LAW]; Te Aratia Ote Nunaa (Tinomana Ebb); Te e'a No Maohi Nui [Jean-Marius RAAPOTO]

International organization participation: ESCAP (associate) FZ ICFTU SPC WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of France)
From the us: none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description: two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Since 1962 when France stationed military personnel in the region French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefited from a five-year (1994-98) development agreement with France aimed principally at creating new jobs.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: coconuts vanilla vegetables fruits; poultry beef dairy products

Industries: tourism pearls agricultural processing handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 118,744 (of which 70,044 are employed) (1988)
By occupation agriculture: 13%
By occupation industry: 19%
By occupation services: 68% (1997)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1992 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.5% (1994)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $212 million (f.o.b. 1996)
Commodities: cultured pearls 50% coconut products mother-of-pearl vanilla shark meat (1997)
Partners: US 11% France 6% (1997)

Imports: $860 million (c.i.f. 1996)
Commodities: fuels foodstuffs equipment
Partners: France 44.7% US 13.9% (1994)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 117.67 (January 2000) 111.93 (1999) 107.25 (1998) 106.11 (1997) 93.00 (1996) 90.75 (1995); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 CFPFs to the French franc


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 360 million kWh (1998)

Electricity consumption: 335 million kWh (1998)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 4,000 (1995)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 45 (1999 est.)

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs