1.
[syn: French Polynesia, French Oceania]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
French Polynesia
n 1: a French overseas possession in the South Pacific [syn:
French Polynesia, French Oceania]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
French Polynesia
Introduction French Polynesia
-----------------------------
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 French Polynesia
--------------------------
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 sq km (118 islands and
atolls)
water: 507 sq km
land: 3,660 sq km
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: 1.64%
permanent crops: 6.01%
other: 92.35% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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
People French Polynesia
-----------------------
Population: 257,847 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 38,184; female
36,631)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 88,250;
female 81,165)
65 years and over: 5.3% (male 6,850;
female 6,767) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.67% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 18.17 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 3.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 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 (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.23 years
female: 77.69 years (2002 est.)
male: 72.88 years
Total fertility rate: 2.18 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
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.)
Government French Polynesia
---------------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of
French Polynesia
conventional short form: French
Polynesia
local short form: Polynesie
Francaise
local long form: Territoire de la
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 Michel
MATHIEU (since 24 October 2001)
head of government: President of the
Territorial Government of French
Polynesia Gaston FLOSSE (since 4
April 1991); President of the
Territorial Assembly Lucette TAERO
(since 17 May 2001)
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 (49 seats -
changed from 41 seats for May 2001
election; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 6 May 2001
(next to be held NA May 2006)
note: one seat was elected to the
French Senate on NA September 1998
(next to be held NA 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 - NA
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party -
People's Rally for the Republic
(Gaullist) 29, Independent Front for
the Liberation of Polynesia 12, The
New Star 7, other 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
Political parties and leaders: 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]; The New
Star (Te Fetia Api) [Boris
LEONTIEFF]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC,
participation: WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the none (overseas territory of France)
US:
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 French Polynesia
------------------------
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.
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
substantially benefits from
development agreements with France
aimed principally at creating new
businesses and strengthening social
services.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.3
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6%
industry: 18%
services: 76% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: 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: NA%
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: 408 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 53.92%
hydro: 46.08%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 379.44 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
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 - 135.04
(January 2002), 133.26 (2001),
129.44 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25
(1998), 106.11 (1997); note - pegged
at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the
euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications French Polynesia
-------------------------------
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)
Transportation French Polynesia
-------------------------------
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 (2002
est.)
Airports: 45 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 33
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 5 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 9 (2001)
Military French Polynesia
-------------------------
Military branches: no regular indigenous military
forces; French Forces (including
Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of
France
Transnational Issues French Polynesia
-------------------------------------
Disputes - international: none