from
CIA World Factbook 2006
French Polynesia
Introduction
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.
Geography
Location: Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean about
one-half of the way from South America to Australia
Geographic 15 00 S, 140 00 W
coordinates:
Map Oceania
references:
Area: total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls)
land: 3,660 sq km
water: 507 sq km
Area - slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 2,525 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical, but moderate
Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with
reefs
Elevation lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m
Natural timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
resources:
Land use: arable land: 0.75%
permanent crops: 5.5%
other: 93.75% (2005)
Irrigated 10 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural occasional cyclonic storms in January
hazards:
Environment - NA
current
issues:
Geography - includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral);
note: 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
People
Population: 274,578 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 36,541/female 34,999)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 96,769/female 89,593)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 8,428/female 8,248) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 27.9 years
male: 28.2 years
female: 27.5 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.48% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 16.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 8.29 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 76.1 years
expectancy at male: 73.69 years
birth: female: 78.63 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: French Polynesian(s)
adjective: French Polynesian
Ethnic groups: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%,
metropolitan French 4%
Religions: Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no
religion 6%
Languages: French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official),
Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002
census)
Literacy: definition: age 14 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98% (1977 est.)
Government
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
Dependency overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France
status: from 1946-2004
Government NA
type:
Capital: name: Papeete
geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W
time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative none (overseas lands of France); there are no
divisions: 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
note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from
French Polynesia
Independence: none (overseas lands of France)
National Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
holiday:
Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: based on French system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France
branch: (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner
of the Republic Anne BOQUET (since September 2005)
head of government: President of French Polynesia Oscar
TEMARU (since 3 March 2005); 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 unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
branch: Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May
2004 election; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held May
2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist)
28, Union for Democracy 27, New Star 1, This Country is
Yours 1; after by-elections of 13 February 2005 seating
was as follows: People's Rally for the Republic 27,
Union for Democracy 27, and Alliance for a New
Democracy 3
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27
September 1998 (next to be held 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 Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First
branch: Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of
Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif
Political Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN [Nicole BOUTEAU and
parties and Philip SCHYLE](includes the parties The New Star and
leaders: This Country is Yours); Independent Front for the
Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar
TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile
VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic of
Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE];
Union for Democracy or UPD [Oscar TEMARU]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International FZ, ICFTU, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WMO
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (overseas lands of France)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (overseas lands of France)
representation
from the US:
Flag two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white
description: 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
Government - under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has
note: acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to
police and justice, monetary policy, tertiary
education, immigration, and defense and foreign
affairs; the duties of its president are fashioned
after those of the French prime minister
Economy
Economy - Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in
overview: 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.
GDP $4.58 billion (2003 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real NA% (2001 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $17,500 (2003 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 3.1%
composition by industry: 19%
sector: services: 76.9% (2002)
Labor force: 65,870 (December 2005)
Labor force - agriculture: 13%
by occupation: industry: 19%
services: 68% (2002)
Unemployment 11.8% (1994)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 1.1% (2006 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $865 million
expenditures: $644.1 million; including capital
expenditures of $185 million (1996)
Agriculture - coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, coffee; poultry,
products: beef, dairy products
Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts,
phosphates
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 493.7 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 60.7%
production by hydro: 39.3%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 459.2 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 4,800 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $211 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl,
commodities: vanilla, shark meat
Exports - France 46.3%, Japan 20.8%, Niger 12.8%, US 12.5% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $1.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment
commodities:
Imports - France 52.7%, Singapore 14.9%, NZ 6.8%, US 6.6% (2005)
partners:
Debt - $NA
external:
Economic aid - $580 million (2004)
recipient:
Currency Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)
(code):
Currency code: XPF
Exchange Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US
rates: dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003),
126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001)
note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 53,400 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 87,000 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: NA
system: domestic: NA
international: country code - 689; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 128,000 (1997)
Television 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 40,000 (1997)
Internet .pf
country code:
Internet 14,047 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 2 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 55,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 51 (2006)
Airports - total: 39
with paved over 3,047 m: 2
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Airports - total: 12
with unpaved 914 to 1,523 m: 5
runways: under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Heliports: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: 2,590 km
paved: 1,735 km
unpaved: 855 km (1999)
Merchant total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 23,684 GRT/17,291
marine: DWT
by type: cargo 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 1 (France 1)
registered in other countries: 2 (Wallis and Futuna 2)
(2006)
Ports and Papeete
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and National
branches: Police Force
Manpower males age 18-49: 69,679 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 55,305 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 2,747 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military - defense is the responsibility of France
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: