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 halted in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.
Oceania, five archipelagoes (Archipel des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between South America and Australia
15 00 S, 140 00 W
Oceania
total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls; 67 are inhabited)
land: 3,827 sq km
water: 340 sq km
slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
0 km
2,525 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
tropical, but moderate
mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
mean elevation: NA
elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m
timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
agricultural land: 12.5%
arable land 0.7%; permanent crops 6.3%; permanent pasture 5.5%
forest: 43.7%
other: 43.8% (2011 est.)
10 sq km (2012)
occasional cyclonic storms in January
NA
includes five archipelagoes: four volcanic (Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) and one coral (Archipel des Tuamotu); 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
285,321 (July 2016 est.)
noun: French Polynesian(s)
adjective: French Polynesian
Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
French (official) 61.1%, Polynesian (official) 31.4%, Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census)
Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%
0-14 years: 22.9% (male 33,600/female 31,727)
15-24 years: 16.03% (male 23,751/female 21,999)
25-54 years: 44.27% (male 64,759/female 61,562)
55-64 years: 9.13% (male 13,399/female 12,648)
65 years and over: 7.67% (male 10,592/female 11,284) (2016 est.)
total dependency ratio: 42.2%
youth dependency ratio: 31.5%
elderly dependency ratio: 10.7%
potential support ratio: 9.3% (2015 est.)
total: 31.5 years
male: 31.3 years
female: 31.7 years (2016 est.)
0.91% (2016 est.)
15 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
-0.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
urban population: 55.9% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 0.85% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
PAPEETE (capital) 133,000 (2014)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
total: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 77.2 years
male: 74.9 years
female: 79.6 years (2016 est.)
1.9 children born/woman (2016 est.)
improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
improved:
urban: 98.5% of population
rural: 98.5% of population
total: 98.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 1.5% of population
rural: 1.5% of population
total: 1.5% of population (2015 est.)
NA
NA
NA
total: 34.2%
male: 31.4%
female: 38.5% (2007 est.)
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
etymology: the term "Polynesia" is an 18th-century construct composed of two Greek words, "poly" (many) and "nesoi" (islands), and refers to the more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean
overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2003; overseas collectivity of France since 2003, though it is often referred to as an overseas country due to its degree of autonomy
parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France
name: Papeete (located on Tahiti)
geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W
time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Iles Australes, Iles du Vent, Iles Marquises, Iles Sous-le-Vent, Iles Tuamotu-Gambier
none (overseas lands of France)
Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1789); note - the local holiday is Internal Autonomy Day, 29 June (1880)
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
the laws of France, where applicable, apply
see France
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Rene BIDALL (since 30 May 2016)
head of government: President of French Polynesia Edouard FRITCH (since 12 September 2014)
cabinet: Council of Ministers approved by the Assembly from a list of its members submitted by the president
elections/appointments: French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; French Polynesia president indirectly elected by Assembly of French Polynesia for a 5-year term (no term limits)
description: unicameral Assembly of French Polynesia or Assemblee de la Polynesie Francaise (57 seats; elections held in two rounds; in the second round, 38 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; the party receiving the most votes gets an additional 19 seats; members serve 5-year terms)
note: two seats were elected to the French Senate for a 6-year term on 20 September 2014 (next to be held in September 2022); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Popular Rally 1, People's Servant Party 1; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly for a 5-year term on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2; the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) is France's ruling party,
elections: last held on 21 April 2013 and 5 May 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
election results: percent of vote by party - Popular Rally 45.1%, UPD 29.3%, A Tia Porinetia 25.6%; seats by party - Popular Rally 38, UPD 11, A Tia Porinetia 8
highest court(s): Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel (composition NA); note - appeals beyond the French Polynesia Court of Appeal are heard by the Court of Cassation (in Paris)
judge selection and term of office: judges assigned from France normally for 3 years
subordinate courts: Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif
A Tia Porinetia [Teva ROHFRITSCH]
Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN (includes the parties The New Star and This Country is Yours)
New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]
Our Home alliance
People's Servant Party (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]
Popular Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]
Tavini Huiraatira [James CHANCELOR]
Union for Democracy alliance or UPD [Oscar TEMARU]
ITUC (NGOs), PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WMO
none (overseas lands of France)
none (overseas lands of France)
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
outrigger canoe; national colors: red, white
name: "Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" (Long Live Tahiti Nui)
lyrics/music: Maeva BOUGES, Irmine TEHEI, Angele TEROROTUA, Johanna NOUVEAU, Patrick AMARU, Louis MAMATUI, and Jean-Pierre CELESTIN (the compositional group created both the lyrics and music)
note: adopted 1993; serves as a local anthem; as a territory of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)
under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to police, monetary policy, tertiary education, immigration, and defense and foreign affairs; the duties of its president are fashioned after those of the French prime minister
$7.15 billion (2012 est.)
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 industr
After growing at an average yearly rate of 4.2% from 1997-2007, GDP stagnated in 2008 and fell by 4.2% in 2009, marking French Polynesia’s entry into recession. GDP growth was positive in 2010-12. Following steady employment level increases between 2002 a
French Polynesia’s tourism-dominated service sector accounted for 85% of total value added for the economy in 2009, employing 80% of the workforce. A small manufacturing sector predominantly processes products from French Polynesia’s primary sector - 3% o
$7.15 billion (2012 est.)
$6.982 billion (2011 est.)
$6.963 billion (2010 est.)
2.4% (2012 est.)
0.3% (2011 est.)
2.2% (2010 est.)
$26,100 (2012 est.)
$26,000 (2010 est.)
agriculture: 2.5%
industry: 13%
services: 84.5% (2009)
coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, coffee; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish
tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates
NA%
114,300 (2012 est.)
agriculture: 13%
industry: 19%
services: 68% (2013)
21.8% (2012)
11.7% (2010)
19.7% (2009 est.)
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $1.891 billion
expenditures: $1.833 billion (2012)
26.4% of GDP (2012)
0.8% of GDP (2012)
calendar year
1.1% (2013 est.)
1.5% (2011 est.)
$NA
$230 million (2013 est.)
$211 million (2005 est.)
cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat
Japan 35%, US 24%, Hong Kong 17%, France 9.1%, China 4.2% (2014)
$1.72 billion (2013 est.)
$1.706 billion (2005 est.)
fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment
France 24%, South Korea 10%, China 9.6%, USA 9.3%, New Zealand 8.5%, Singapore 8.2%, Australia 4% (2014)
$NA
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -
89.85 (2013 est.)
90.56 (2012 est.)
population without electricity: 116,981
electrification - total population: 59%
electrification - urban areas: 72%
electrification - rural areas: 45% (2012)
800 million kWh (2014 est.)
700 million kWh (2014 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
200,000 kW (2014 est.)
79% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
21% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
6,700 bbl/day (2014 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
6,636 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
1.1 million Mt (2013 est.)
total subscriptions: 60,000
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (July 2015 est.)
total: 268,000
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 95 (July 2015 est.)
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular density is roughly 115 per 100 persons
international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2011)
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)
.pf
total: 183,000
percent of population: 64.6% (July 2015 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 2 (registered in France)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 21 (registered in France) (2015)
F-OH (2016)
54 (2013)
total: 45
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 33
under 914 m: 5 (2013)
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2013)
1 (2013)
total: 2,590 km
paved: 1,735 km
unpaved: 855 km (1999)
registered in other countries: 12 (Cambodia 1, France 11) (2010)
major seaport(s): Papeete
no regular military forces (2011)
defense is the responsibility of France
none
