Country Summary
Introduction
Background
The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In 1966, the French Government began testing nuclear weapons on the uninhabited Mururoa Atoll. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing after a three-year moratorium. The tests were halted in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.
Geography
Area
total: 4,167 sq km
land: 3,827 sq km
water: 340 sq km
Climate
tropical, but moderate
Natural resources
timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
People and Society
Population
299,356 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups
Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
Languages
French (official) 73.5%, Tahitian 20.1%, Marquesan 2.6%, Austral languages 1.2%, Paumotu 1%, other 1.6% (2017 est.)
Religions
Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%
Population growth rate
0.73% (2022 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France
Capital
name: Papeete (located on Tahiti)
Executive branch
chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Dominique SORAIN (since 10 July 2019)
head of government: President of French Polynesia Edouard FRITCH (since 12 September 2014)
Legislative branch
description: unicameral Assembly of French Polynesia or Assemblée de la Polynésie française (57 seats; elections held in 2 rounds; in the second round, 38 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by a closed-list proportional representation vote; the party receiving the most votes gets an additional 19 seats; members serve 5-year terms; French Polynesia indirectly elects 2 senators to the French Senate via an electoral college by absolute majority vote for 6-year terms with one-half the membership renewed every 3 years and directly elects 3 deputies to the French National Assembly by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for 5-year terms
Economy
Economic overview
small, territorial-island tourism-based economy; large French financing; lower EU import duties; Pacific Islands Forum member; fairly resilient from COVID-19; oil-dependent infrastructure
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$5.49 billion (2017 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$17,000 (2015 est.)
Agricultural products
coconuts, fruit, roots/tubers nes, pineapples, cassava, sugar cane, eggs, tropical fruit, tomatoes
Industries
tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates
Exports
$1.245 billion (2014 est.)
Exports - partners
Japan 23.1%, Hong Kong 21.5%, Kyrgyzstan 15.9%, US 15.9%, France 12.4% (2017)
Exports - commodities
cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat
Imports
$2.235 billion (2014 est.)
Imports - partners
France 27.9%, South Korea 12.1%, US 10.1%, China 7.3%, NZ 6.7%, Singapore 4.2% (2017)
Imports - commodities
fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment
Exchange rates
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -
Page last updated: Tuesday, December 20, 2022