French Polynesia

Airports

43 total, 41 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

about 6 major transport aircraft

Highways

600 km (1982)

Merchant marine

3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,128 GRT/6,710 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo; 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

Branches

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

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 50,844; NA fit for military service

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

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (plural - francs); 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

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

Electricity

72,000 kW capacity; 265 million kWh produced, 1,390 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 97.81 (January 1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30 (1988), 109.27 (1987); 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

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $1.2 billion, per capita $6,000; real growth rate NA% (1991 est.)

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)

2.9% (1989)

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

14.9% (1988 est.)

Climate

tropical, but moderate

Coastline

2,525 km

Comparative area

slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Disputes

none

Environment

occasional cyclonic storm in January; includes five archipelagoes

Land area

3,660 km2

Land boundaries

none

Land use

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

Maritime claims

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

timber, fish, cobalt

Note

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

Total area

3,941 km2

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)

Diplomatic representation

as an overseas territory of France, French Polynesian interests are represented in the US by France

Elections

National Assembly last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) People's Rally (Gaullist) 1, New Fatherland Party 1 French Senate: last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) party NA Territorial Assembly: last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (41 total) People's Rally (Gaullist) 18, Polynesian Union Party 14, New Fatherland Party 5, other 4

Executive branch

French president, high commissioner of the republic, president of the Council of Ministers, vice president of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers

Flag

the flag of France is used

Independence

none (overseas territory of France)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal

Leaders

Chief of State: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); High Commissioner of the Republic Jean MONTPEZAT (since November 1987) Head of Government: President of the Council of Ministers Gaston FLOSSE (since 10 May 1991); Vice President of the Council of Ministers Joel BUILLARD (since 12 September 1991)

Legal system

based on French system

Legislative branch

unicameral Territorial Assembly

Long-form name

Territory of French Polynesia

Member of

FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO

National holiday

Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Political parties and leaders

People's Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira; Gaullist), Gaston FLOSSE; Polynesian Union Party (Te Tiarama; centrist), Alexandre LEONTIEFF; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api), Emile VERNAUDON; Polynesian Liberation Front (Tavini Huiraatira), Oscar TEMARU; other small parties

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

overseas territory of France since 1946

Birth rate

28 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

15 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

76,630 employed (1988)

Languages

French and Tahitian (both official)

Life expectancy at birth

68 years male, 73 years female (1992)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun - French Polynesian(s); adjective - French Polynesian

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

NA

Population

205,620 (July 1992), growth rate 2.3% (1992)

Religions

mainly Christian; Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 16%

Total fertility rate

3.3 children born/woman (1992)