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.

Geography

 

Location: Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia

 

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 140 00 W

 

Map references: Oceania

 

Area: total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls); land: 3,660 sq km; water: 507 sq km

 

Area - 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; highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m

 

Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

 

Land use: arable land: 0.82%; permanent crops: 5.46%; other: 93.72% (2001)

 

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: occasional cyclonic storms in January

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 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

 

People

 

Population: 270,485 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 36,947/female 35,403); 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 94,710/female 87,546); 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 8,018/female 7,861) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 27.48 years; male: 27.84 years; female: 27.1 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 1.52% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 16.93 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 4.63 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: 2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

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 (2005 est.)

I

nfant mortality rate: total: 8.44 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 9.73 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.9 years; male: 73.5 years; female: 78.42 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 2.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

 

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 status: overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2004

 

Government type: NA

 

Capital: Papeete

 

Administrative divisions: none (overseas lands of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent; note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia

 

Independence: none (overseas lands of France)

 

National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

 

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

 

Legal system: based on French system

 

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

 

Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Michel MATHIEU (since 24 October 2001); note - Michel MATHIER leaves 30 July 2005, replaced by Jacques MICHAUT (acting high commissioner), until the arrival of Anne BOQUET in early September 2005; head of government: President of the Territorial Government 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

 

Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May 2004 election; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); lections: 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 NA 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

 

Economy

 

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.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.58 billion (2003 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: NA% (2001 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2003 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%; industry: 18%; services: 78% (2002)

 

Labor force: 70,000 (1996)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services 68% (2002)

 

Unemployment rate: 11.8% (1994)

 

Population below poverty line: NA%

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%; highest 10%: NA%

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (2002 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $1 billion; expenditures: $900 million, including capital expenditures of $185 million (1996)

 

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

 

Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates

 

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

 

Electricity - production: 380 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 353.4 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 4,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: NA

 

Oil - imports: NA

 

Exports: $244 million f.o.b. (2002)

 

Exports - commodities: cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat

 

Exports - partners: France 41.2%, Japan 25.5%, US 18.3%, Thailand 4.6% (2004)

 

Imports: $1.341 billion f.o.b. (2002)

 

Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment

 

Imports - partners: France 47.6%, New Zealand 8.6%, Singapore 8.4%, Australia 8.4%, US 7% (2004)

 

Debt - external: NA

 

Economic aid - recipient: $367 million (1997)

 

Currency (code): Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

 

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001), 129.43 (2000); note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro

 

Fiscal year: calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 52,500 (2002)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 90,000 (2002)

 

Telephone system: general assessment: NA; domestic: NA; international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)

 

Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997)

 

Internet country code: .pf

 

Internet hosts: 5,123 (2003)

 

Internet users: 35,000 (2002)

 

Transportation

 

Highways: total: 2,590 km; paved: 1,735 km; unpaved: 855 km (1999)

 

Ports and harbors: Papeete

 

Merchant marine: total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 17,537 GRT/15,150 DWT; by type: cargo 4, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1; foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2005)

 

Airports: 50 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways: total: 37; over 3,047 m: 2; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5; 914 to 1,523 m: 23; under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 13; 914 to 1,523 m: 5; under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)

 

Heliports: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: none.