French Polynesia | Facts & Information

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff
  • French Polynesia Profile
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Facts & Figures

  • Status: Overseas Country

    High Commissioner: Lionel Beffre (2013)

    President: Edouard Fritch (2015)

    Land area: 1,413 sq mi (3,660 sq km); total area: 1,609 sq mi (4,167 sq km)

    Population (July 2014 est.): 280,026 (growth rate: 0.97%); birth rate: 15.47/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.78/1000; life expectancy: 76.79 density per sq mi: 197

    Capital (2011 est.): Papeete (on Tahiti), 137,000

    Monetary unit: Pacific financial community franc

    Languages: French (official) 61.1%, Polynesian (official) 31.4%, Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6%

    Ethnicity/race: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%

    Religions: Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%

    National Holiday: Bastille Day, July 14

    Literacy rate: 98% (1977)

    Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2012 est.): $7.15 billion; per capita $26,100. Real growth rate: -4.2% (2009). Inflation: 1.1% (2013 est.). Unemployment: 21.8% (2012). Arable land: 0.63%. Agriculture: coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, coffee; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish. Labor force: 114,300 (2012); agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services 67.2% (2013). Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates. Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower. Exports: $230 million (2013 est.): cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat. Imports: $1.72 billion (2013 est.): fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment. Major trading partners: France, Japan, U.S., Niger, Thailand, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia (2004).

    Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 55,000 (2012); mobile cellular: 226,000 (2012). Broadcast media: the publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which operates in France's overseas departments and territories, broadcasts on 2 TV channels and 1 radio station; 1 government-owned TV station; a small number of privately owned radio stations (2008). Radios: 128,000 (2008). Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (2008). Internet hosts: 37,949 (2012). Internet users: 120,000 (2009).

    Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 2,590 km; paved: 1,735 km; unpaved: 855 km (1999). Ports and harbors: Papeete. Airports: 54 (2013 est.).

    International disputes: none.

    Major sources and definitions

See also: