Map of French Polynesia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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. In recent years French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.


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Location: Oceania archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean about half way between South America and Australia

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S 140 00 W

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 4,167 km² (118 islands and atolls)
Land: 3,660 km²
Water: 507 km²
Comparative: slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2,525 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical but moderate

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m

Natural resources: timber fish cobalt hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 0.75%
Permanent crops: 5.5%
Other: 93.75% (2005)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2003)

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 (four volcanic one coral); 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: 283,019 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 1.425% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: French Polynesian
Adjective: French Polynesian

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

Languages: French 61.1% (official) Polynesian 31.4% (official) Asian languages 1.2% other 0.3% unspecified 6% (2002 census)

Religions: Protestant 54% Roman Catholic 30% other 10% no religion 6%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 35,903/female 34,364)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 100,700/female 93,492)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 9,374/female 9,186) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 28.7 years
Male: 29 years
Female: 28.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.425% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 16.16 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 4.67 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.77 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male/female
Total population: 1.06 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.7 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 8.84 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.5 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.51 years
Male: 74.07 years
Female: 79.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: ( )

Literacy
Definition: age 14 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: 98%
Female: 98% (1977 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French Polynesia
Conventional short form: French Polynesia
Local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise
Local short form: Polynesie Francaise
Former: French Colony of Oceania

Government type: NA

Capital
Name: Papeete
Geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W
Time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas lands of France)

National holiday: Bastille Day 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: the laws of France where applicable apply

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Adolphe COLRAT (since 7 July 2008)
Head of government: President of French Polynesia Gaston TONG SANG (since 15 April 2008); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony GEROS (since 9 May 2004)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers
Elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the territorial government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly for five-year terms (no term limits)

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 27 January 2008 (first round) and 10 February 2008 (second round) (next to be held NA 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Our Home alliance 45.2%, Union for Democracy alliance 37.2%, Popular Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) 17.2% other 0.5%; seats by party - Our Home alliance 27, Union for Democracy alliance 20, Popular Rally 10
Note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held in September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1

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: Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN [Nicole BOUTEAU and Philip SCHYLE](includes the parties The New Star and This Country is Yours); Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; Our Home alliance; People's Rally for the Republic of Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; Union for Democracy alliance or UPD [Oscar TEMARU]

International organization participation: FZ ITUC PIF (associate member) SPC UPU WMO

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

Flag description: two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with a blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and a 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 agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996 the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $4.58 billion (2003 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.1% (2002)

Real gdp per capita: $17,500 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.1%
Industry: 19%
Services: 77.8% (2005)

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

Industries: tourism pearls agricultural processing handicrafts phosphates

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 65,930 (December 2005)
By occupation agriculture: 13%
By occupation industry: 19%
By occupation services: 68% (2002)

Unemployment rate: 11.7% (2005)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $865 million
Expenditures: $644.1 million (1999)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.1% (2006 est.)

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: $NA

Current account balance

Exports: $211 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: cultured pearls coconut products mother-of-pearl vanilla shark meat
Partners: France 46.3% Japan 20.8% Niger 12.8% US 12.5% (2006)

Imports: $1.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: fuels foodstuffs machinery and equipment
Partners: France 52.7% Singapore 14.9% NZ 6.8% US 6.6% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates
Note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro


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Electricity
Production: 475 million kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 441.8 million kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 53,600 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 174,800 (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .pf
Hosts: 14,070 (2008)
Users: 75,000 (2007)

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: 54 (2007)
With paved runways total: 37
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 27
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 2,590 km
Paved: 1,735 km
Unpaved: 855 km (1999)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 15
By type: cargo 6, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1
Registered in other countries: 2 (Wallis and Futuna 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Papeete


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs