FRENCH POLYNESIA                                                                
(overseas territory of France)                                                  
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 3,941 km2; land area: 3,660 km2                                     
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly less than one-third the size of                      
Connecticut                                                                     
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 2,525 km                                                             
                                                                                
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              
                                                                                
Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt                                         
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 19%; meadows and                      
pastures 5%; forest and woodland 31%; other 44%                                 
                                                                                
Environment: occasional cyclonic storm in January; includes five                
archipelagoes                                                                   
                                                                                
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                                            
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 195,046 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 31 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 3.9 children born/woman (1991)                            
Nationality: noun--French Polynesian(s); adjective--French                      
Polynesian                                                                      
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%,                 
metropolitan French 4%                                                          
                                                                                
Religion: mainly Christian; Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%,                 
other 16%                                                                       
                                                                                
Language: French (official), Tahitian                                           
                                                                                
Literacy: 98% (male 98%, female 98%) age 14 and over but definition             
of literacy not available (1977)                                                
                                                                                
Labor force: 76,630 employed (1988)                                             
                                                                                
Organized labor: NA                                                             
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Territory of French Polynesia                                   
                                                                                
Type: overseas territory of France since 1946                                   
                                                                                
Capital: Papeete                                                                
                                                                                
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         
from French Polynesia and may have become a dependency of French                
Polynesia                                                                       
                                                                                
Independence: none (overseas territory of France)                               
                                                                                
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)                           
                                                                                
Legal system: based on French system                                            
                                                                                
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)                        
                                                                                
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                                      
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly                             
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal                                                
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since                            
21 May 1981); High Commissioner of the Republic Jean MONTPEZAT                  
(since NA November 1987);                                                       
                                                                                
Head of Government--President of the Council of Ministers                       
Gaston FLOSSE (since 10 May 1991);                                              
Vice President of the Council of Ministers NA                                   
                                                                                
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                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
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;                                            
                                                                                
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;                                                      
                                                                                
French 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            
                                                                                
Member of: FZ, SPC, WMO                                                         
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: as an overseas territory of France,                  
French Polynesian interests are represented in the US by France                 
                                                                                
Flag: the flag of France is used                                                
                                                                                
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       
20% of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings.                   
                                                                                
GDP: $1.2 billion, per capita $6,300; real growth rate NA% (1990                
est.)                                                                           
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1989 est.)                              
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 8% (1986 est.)                                               
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $614 million; expenditures $957 million, including             
capital expenditures of $NA (1988)                                              
                                                                                
Exports: $75 million (f.o.b., 1988);                                            
                                                                                
commodities--coconut products 79%, mother-of-pearl 14%, vanilla,                
shark meat;                                                                     
                                                                                
partners--France 54%, US 17%, Japan 17%                                         
                                                                                
Imports: $806 million (c.i.f., 1988);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--fuels, foodstuffs, equipment;                                      
                                                                                
partners--France 53%, US 11%, Australia 6%, NZ 5%                               
External debt: $NA                                                              
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate NA%                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 72,000 kW capacity; 265 million kWh produced,                      
1,390 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts               
                                                                                
Agriculture: coconut and vanilla plantations; vegetables and fruit;             
poultry, beef, dairy products                                                   
                                                                                
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral                 
commitments (1970-88), $3.95 billion                                            
                                                                                
Currency: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (plural--francs);               
1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes                                               
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per               
US$1--93.28 (January 1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30 (1988),         
109.27 (1987), 125.92 (1986), 163.35 (1985); note--linked at the rate of        
18.18 to the French franc                                                       
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Highways: 600 km (1982)                                                         
                                                                                
Ports: Papeete, Bora-bora                                                       
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,128                     
GRT/6,710 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 1 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo;       
note--a captive subset of the French register                                   
                                                                                
Civil air: about 6 major transport aircraft                                     
                                                                                
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                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: 33,200 telephones; 84,000 radio receivers;                  
26,400 TV sets; stations--5 AM, 2 FM, 6 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT            
earth station                                                                   
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 50,844; NA fit for military                 
service                                                                         
                                                                                
Note: defense is responsibility of France                                       
                                                                                
