French Polynesia
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French Polynesia is located in Oceania and has five archipelagoes (Archipel Des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, and Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between South America and Australia.
It is a mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs, of which four of the archipelagoes are volcanic and one is coral; Makatea (within the Archipel Des Tuamotu) is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru in Micronesia.
The total population is 273,777, with 133,000 living in the capital of Papeete. The languages include French (official) 61.1%, Polynesian (official) 31.4%, Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, and unspecified 6% (according to the 2002 census). The urban population accounts for 51% of total population. The area of French Polynesia is 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) with 3,827 sq km of land (of which 2,525 km is coastline) and 340 sq km of water. The highest point is Mont Orohena (2,241 m), located on the island of Tahiti near the capital, Papeete. Natural resources found in French Polynesia include timber, fish, cobalt, and hydropower. The climate is tropical, but moderate. Greatest average monthly rainfall occurs in January and November and the highest average monthly temperatures occur in March and December.
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Average monthly temperatures (C) and rainfall (mm), 1900-2009 |
Fun fact: The national symbol is the outrigger canoe.
Sources: CIA World Factbook and World Bank
