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 five archipelagoes (Archipel Des Tuamotu Iles Gambier Iles Marquises Iles Tubuai Society Islands) 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
Rank: 175
Land: 3,827 km²
Water: 340 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 (2008)

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: 294,935 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 180
Growth rate: 1.331% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 89
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: French Polynesian
Adjective: French Polynesian

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

Languages: French (official) 61.1% Polynesian (official) 31.4% 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: 23.5%
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 105,823/female 98,597)
65 years and over: 7.2% (male 10,742/female 10,557) (2011 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 29.9 years
Male: 30.2 years
Female: 29.6 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.331% (2011 est.)
Rank: 89

Birth rate: 15.53 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 130

Death rate: 4.87 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 190

Net migration rate: 2.65 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 31

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 51% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.27 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 164
Male: 8.35 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.15 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.1 years
Rank: 65
Male: 74.62 years
Female: 79.7 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.87 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 145

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: NA

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: NA

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 second order administrative units named Iles Australes Iles du Vent Iles Marquises Iles Sous le Vent Iles Tuamotu et Gambier

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas lands of France)

National holiday: Bastille Day 14 July (1789); note - the local holiday is Internal Autonomy Day 29 June (1880)

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 represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Richard DIDIER (since 24 January 2011)
Head of government: President of French Polynesia Oscar TEMARU (since 1 April 2011); President of the Assembly of French Polynesia Jacqui DROLLET (since 14 April 2011)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the 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 French Polynesia government and the president of the Assembly of French Polynesia elected by the members of the assembly for five-year terms (no term limits)

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of French Polynesia or Assemblee de la Polynesia francaise (57 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 27 January 2008 (first round) and 10 February 2008 (second round) (next to be held in 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: two seats were elected to the French Senate on 21 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1 independent 1; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 10-17 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2

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 (includes the parties The New Star and This Country is Yours); New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api); Our Home alliance; People's Servant Party (Tavini Huiraatira); Popular Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira); Union for Democracy alliance or UPD

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

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

Flag description: two red horizontal bands encase a wide white band in a 1:2:1 ratio; centered on the white band is a disk with a blue and white wave pattern depicting the sea on the lower half and a gold and white ray pattern depicting the sun on the upper half; a Polynesian canoe rides on the wave pattern; the canoe has a crew of five represented by five stars that symbolize the five island groups; red and white are traditional Polynesian colors
Note: similar to the red-white-red flag of Tahiti the largest of the islands in French Polynesia which has no emblem in the white band; the flag of France is used for official occasions

National symbols: outrigger canoe

National anthem
Name: 'Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui'
Lyricsmusic: Maeva BOUGES Irmine TEHEI Angele TEROROTUA Johanna NOUVEAU Patrick AMARU Louis MAMATUI and Jean-Pierre CELESTIN
Note: adopted 1993; serves as a local anthem; as a territory of France 'La Marseillaise' is official (see France)

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.)
Rank: 164

Real gdp growth rate: 5.1% (2002)
Rank: 131

Real gdp per capita: $17,500 (2003 est.)
Rank: 66

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.5%
Industry: 20.4%
Services: 76.1% (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: 116,000 (2007)
Rank: 179
By occupation agriculture: 13%
By occupation industry: 19%
By occupation services: 68% (2002)

Unemployment rate: 11.7% (2005)
Rank: 124

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

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)
Surplus or deficit: 3.6% of GDP (1999)
Surplus or deficit rank: 16

Taxes and other revenues: 14.2% of GDP (1999)
Rank: 193

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.1% (2006 est.)
Rank: 27

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 (2005 est.)
Rank: 178
Commodities: cultured pearls coconut products mother-of-pearl vanilla shark meat

Imports: $1.706 billion (2005 est.)
Rank: 160
Commodities: fuels foodstuffs machinery and equipment

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 670 million kWh (2008 est.)
Production rank: 153
Consumption: 623.1 million kWh (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 160
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 185
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 177
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 99
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 122
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 139

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 54,900 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 159
Mobile cellular: 215,900 (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 176

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: combined fixed and mobile-cellular density is roughly 90 per 100 persons
International: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2009)

Broadcast media: the publicly-owned French Overseas Network (RFO) which operates in France's overseas departments and territories broadcasts on 2 television channels and 1 radio station; a government-owned TV station is operating; a small number of privately-owned radio stations also broadcast (2008)

Internet
Country code: .pf
Hosts: 36,056 (2010)
Hosts rank: 95
Users: 120,000 (2009)
Users rank: 153

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: 53 (2010)
Rank: 89
With paved runways total: 46
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 33
With paved runways under 914 m: 7 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2010)

Heliports: 1 (2010)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 2,590 km
Rank: 170
Paved: 1735 km
Unpaved: 855 km (1999)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 13 (2010)
Rank: 109

Ports and terminals: Papeete


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs