French Polynesia (overseas territory of France)

§1. 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.

§2. French Polynesia Geography

Location:
  Oceania, archipelago 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 kmē (118 islands and atolls)
  land: 3,660 kmē
  water: 507 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  2,525 km

Maritime claims:
  exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 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: 1%
  permanent crops: 6%
  permanent pastures: 5%
  forests and woodland: 31%
  other: 57% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

Natural hazards:
  occasional cyclonic storms in January

Environment - current issues:
  NA

Geography - note:
  includes five archipelagoes; 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

§3. French Polynesia People

Population:
  253,506 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 29.74% (male 38,473; female 36,925)
  15-64 years: 65.17% (male 86,128; female 79,076)
  65 years and over: 5.09% (male 6,481; female 6,423) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  1.72% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  18.6 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  4.45 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  3.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  9.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 75.01 years male: 72.67 years
  female: 77.46 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  2.23 children born/woman (2001 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 16%

Languages:
  French (official), Tahitian (official)

Literacy:
  definition: age 14 and over can read and write
  total population: 98%
  male: 98%
  female: 98% (1977 est.)

§4. French Polynesia Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Territory of French Polynesia
  conventional short form: French Polynesia
  local long form: Territoire de la Polynesie Francaise
  local short form: Polynesie Francaise
  former: French Colony of Oceania

Dependency status:
  overseas territory of France since 1946

Government type:
  NA

Capital:
  Papeete

Administrative divisions:
  none (overseas territory 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 territory 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 Paul RONCIERE (since NA
    1994)
  head of government: President of the Territorial Government of French
    Polynesia Gaston FLOSSE (since 4 April 1991); President of the
    Territorial Assembly Justin ARAPARI (since 13 May 1996)
  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 seven-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 (41 seats;
  members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
  elections: last held 12 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - People's
    Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 22, Independent Front for the
    Liberation of Polynesia 10, New Fatherland Party 5, other 4
  note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 24 September 1989 (next
    to be held NA September 1998); results - percent of vote by party - NA;
    seats by party - UC 1; two seats were elected to the French National
    Assembly on 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results -
    percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - People's Rally for the
    Republic (Gaullist) 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:
  Centrist Union or UC [leader NA]; 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 (Tahoeraa
  Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description:
  two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white 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

§5. French Polynesia Economy

Economy - overview:
  Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French
  Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to one in which a high
  proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports
  the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a
  primary source of hard currency earnings. The small manufacturing sector
  primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefited from a
  five-year (1994-98) development agreement with France aimed principally at
  creating new jobs.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $2.6 billion (1997 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  2.5% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $10,800 (1997 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 4% industry: 18%
  services: 78% (1997)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.5% (1994)

Labor force:
  70,000 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services 68% (1997)

Unemployment rate:
  15% (1992 est.)

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

Industries:
  tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  430 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 51.16% hydro: 48.84%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  399.9 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

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

Exports:
  $205 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities:
  cultured pearls 50%, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat
  (1997)

Exports - partners:
  Japan 62%, US 21% (1999)

Imports:
  $749 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities:
  fuels, foodstuffs, equipment

Imports - partners:
  France 53%, US 13%, Australia 10% (1999)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  $367 million (1997)

Currency:
  Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

Currency code:
  XPF

Exchange rates:
  Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 127.11
  (January 2001), 129.44 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25 (1998), 106.11 (1997),
  93.00 (1996); note - pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. French Polynesia Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  52,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  5,427 (1997)

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

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

Radios:
  128,000 (1997)

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

Televisions:
  40,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .pf

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  2 (2000)

Internet users:
  5,000 (2000)

§7. French Polynesia Transportation

Railways:
  0 km

Highways:
  total: 792 km
  paved: 264 km
  unpaved: 528 km (2000)

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  Mataura, Papeete, Rikitea, Uturoa

Merchant marine:
  total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,240 GRT/7,765 DWT
  ships by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  45 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 32 over 3,047 m: 2
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
  914 to 1,523 m: 19
  under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 3
  under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)

§8. French Polynesia Military

Military branches:
  French Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of France

§9. French Polynesia Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none
