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

Area
Rank: 175
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: 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: 274,512 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 181
Growth rate: 1.021% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 113
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

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

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.021% (2012 est.)
Rank: 113

Birth rate: 15.92 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 127

Death rate: 4.76 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 195

Net migration rate: -0.94 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 151

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
Rank: 180

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 76

Total fertility rate: 2 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 132

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: parliamentary representive democratic French overseas collectivity

Capital

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

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)

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 (NGOs) 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

National symbols: outrigger canoe

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.)
Rank: 169

Real gdp growth rate: 5.1% (2002)
Rank: 120

Real gdp per capita: $17,500 (2003 est.)
Rank: 70

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 116,000 (2007)
Rank: 180

Unemployment rate: 11.7% (2005)
Rank: 126

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 3.6% of GDP (1999)
Surplus or deficit rank: 17

Taxes and other revenues: 14.2% of GDP (1999)
Rank: 194

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.1% (2006 est.)
Rank: 10

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: $N/A

Current account balance

Exports: $211 million (2005 est.)
Rank: 183
Commodities: cultured pearls coconut products mother-of-pearl vanilla shark meat

Imports: $1.706 billion (2005 est.)
Rank: 167
Commodities: fuels foodstuffs machinery and equipment

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:


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Electricity
Production: 725 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 155
Consumption: 674.3 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 161
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 197
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 189
Installed generating capacity: 140,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 162
Generation sources fossil fuels: 66.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 120
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 91
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 33.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 64
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 127

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 137
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 115
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 186
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 135

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 149
Products consumption: 8,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 160
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 179
Products imports: 7,246 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 140

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 132
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 146
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 199
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 197
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 140

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.221 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 163

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 55,000 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 162
Mobile cellular: 222,800 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 177

Telephone system

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

Internet
Country code: .pf
Hosts: 37,949 (2012)
Hosts rank: 103
Users: 120,000 (2009)
Users rank: 154

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 (2012)
Rank: 87

Heliports: 1 (2012)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 170

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 107

Ports and terminals: Papeete


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs