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Guide
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. |
| 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) |
| ......Debt
- external: |
$NA |
| 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 |
......
|
