French Polynesia

Airports

total: 43 usable: 41 with permanent-surface runways: 23 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 12

Highways

total: 600 km (1982) paved: NA unpaved: NA

Merchant marine

3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,127 GRT/6,710 DWT, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1 note: a captive subset of the French register

Ports

Papeete, Bora-bora

Telecommunications

33,200 telephones; 84,000 radio receivers; 26,400 TV sets; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 2 FM, 6 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Affiliation

(overseas territory of France)

Branches

French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie

Note

defense is responsibility of France

Agriculture

coconut and vanilla plantations; vegetables and fruit; poultry, beef, dairy products

Budget

revenues: $614 million expenditures: $957 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)

Currency

1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.95 billion

Electricity

capacity: 75,000 kW production: 275 million kWh consumption per capita: 1,330 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 107.63 (January 1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc

Exports

$88.9 million (f.o.b., 1989) commodities: coconut products 79%, mother-of-pearl 14%, vanilla, shark meat partners: France 54%, US 17%, Japan 17%

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$765 million (c.i.f., 1989) commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, equipment partners: France 53%, US 11%, Australia 6%, NZ 5%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.6% (1991)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.5 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$7,000 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

NA%

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 20% of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings.

Unemployment rate

10% (1990 est.)

Area

total area: 3,941 sq km land area: 3,660 sq km comparative area: slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Climate

tropical, but moderate

Coastline

2,525 km

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: occasional cyclonic storms in January international agreements: NA

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 1% permanent crops: 19% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 31% other: 44%

Location

Oceania, Polynesia halfway between Australia and South America

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

timber, fish, cobalt

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

Terrain

mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

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

Capital

Papeete

Constitution

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Digraph

FP

Diplomatic representation in US

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); High Commissioner of the Republic Michel JAU (since NA February 1992) head of government: President of the Territorial Government of French Polynesia Gaston FLOSSE (since 10 May 1991); Deputy to the French Assembly and President of the Territorial Assembly Jean JUVENTIN (since NA November 1992); Territorial Vice President and Minister of Health Michel BUILLARD (since 12 September 1991) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers

Flag

the flag of France is used

French National Assembly

elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 2

French Senate

elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) party NA

Independence

none (overseas territory of France)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal, Court of the First Instance, Court of Administrative Law

Legal system

based on French system

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO

Names

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

National holiday

National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Political parties and leaders

People's Rally for the Republic (Tahoeraa Huiraatira), Gaston FLOSSE; Polynesian Union Party includes Te Tiarama, Alexandre LEONTIEFF, and Pupu Here Ai'a Te Nuneao Ia Ora, Jean JUVENTIN; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api), Emile VERNAUDON; Polynesian Liberation Front (Tavini Huiraatira), Oscar TEMARU; Independent Party (Ia Mana Te Nunaa), James SALMON; other small parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Territorial Assembly

elections last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (41 total) People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 18, Polynesian Union Party 12, New Fatherland Party 7, other 4

Type

overseas territory of France since 1946

US diplomatic representation

none (overseas territory of France)

Birth rate

27.75 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

5.27 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%

Infant mortality rate

14.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

76,630 employed (1988)

Languages

French (official), Tahitian (official)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.54 years male: 68.14 years female: 73.06 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 14 and over but definition of literacy not available (1977) total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98%

Nationality

noun: French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

215,129 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.25% (1994 est.)

Religions

Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 16%

Total fertility rate

3.31 children born/woman (1994 est.)