| 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. |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$367 million
(1997) |
| Currency: |
Comptoirs
Francais du Pacifique franc (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 |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Highways: |
total:
792 km
paved: 264 km
unpaved: 528 km (2000) |
| 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
- 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.) |
| Military
branches: |
French Forces
(includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of France |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
