French Polynesia

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French Polynesia's Information


Capital	Papeete
Languages	French (official) 70%, Polynesian (official) 28.2%, other 1.8% (2012 est.)
Ethnic Groups	Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
Religion	Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%
Government	Parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France
Independance	None (overseas lands of France)
Area	4,167.00 km²
Water Area	340.00 km²
Land Area	3,827.00 km²
Population	285,321.00
Location	Oceania, five archipelagoes (Archipel des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between South America and Australia
GDP(PPP)	$5,490,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$17,000.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Japan and the United States.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are cultured pearls, coconut products, and vanilla.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are France, South Korea, and China.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include fuels, foodstuffs, machinery, and equipment.
Terrain	Mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Where is French Polynesia?

Located in Oceania, French Polynesia is an island nation. It has a 2,525.00 km coastline.

French Polynesia’s capital city of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti and is made up of eleven wards. Founded in 1843 Papeete’s population is estimated to number at 25,769 residents. As a port city Papeete regularly hosts a steady stream of tourists who travel there on a variety of cruise ships which routinely dock here. Popular cultural attractions in this small city include its 19th century Notre Dame Cathedral, Municipal Market, and Tomb of King PomareV, Tahiti’s final monarch. Due to its tropical location in the South Pacific Ocean Papeete has what’s known as a tropical monsoon climate which features both wet and dry seasons. Temperatures remain the same year round with the city experiencing a short dry season and the largest amount of precipitation falling during the months of December and January.

Geography

French Polynesia has a mean elevation of 0 m above sea level.

Population

French Polynesia has a population of 285,321 making it the 180th largest in the world.

French is the official language. Major ethnic groups include Polynesian followed by Chinese. The majority of the population is Protestant Christian or Roman Catholic.

Because French Polynesia is an overseas collective of France, French is the region’s official language. This Gallo-Romance language includes an alphabet made up of twenty six letters and four vowel diacritics. 68.5% of residents over fifteen years of age speak French as their primary language. Other languages spoken throughout the islands include Tahitian, Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Austral, Pa’umotu, and Rapa. Languages historically native to the islands are still spoken in French Polynesia with Tahitian being the most popular with about 185,000 speakers. The least used minority language, Rapa, is only spoken by a very small percentage of local inhabitants.

The dialing code for the country is 689.

Government

They are overseas lands of France. Its constitution was last ratified in 1958.

French Polynesia is an overseas collective of the European nation of France. The government operates as a parliamentary representative democracy with a president serving as its head of state. The current political leader of French Polynesia is Édouard Fritch who was elected in 2014. The territory’s government is known as the Assembly of French Polynesia which is made up of 57 members who are all elected by popular vote. The president is elected by the Assembly for a term of five years. The Assembly conducts its business in a building called the Place Tarahoi which is located in Papeete on the island of Tahiti. The president resides in the Presidential Palace which is housed in the same structure as the Assembly.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, French Polynesia's GDP is $5,490,000,000.00 (USD) with $17,000.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 168th largest economy and its citizens the 94th richest in the world. The currency of French Polynesia is the Franc (XPF).

Its major export partners are Japan and the United States. Its main exports are cultured pearls, coconut products, and vanilla. Its major import partners are France, South Korea, and China. Its major imports include fuels, foodstuffs, machinery, and equipment.

Flag

French Polynesia is made up of five island groups in the South Pacific Ocean. Its flag is made up of horizontal bands of red and white. In its center is a depiction of an out rigger canoe sailing on the ocean amidst a sunny background. This particular flag was officially adopted in 1984. French Polynesia is composed of the Society Islands archipelago and all of these regions have their own official flags. Because the Windward, Leeward, Gambier, Marquesas, Austral Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago are all officially designated as being overseas collectives of the European country of France, they all share one central flag. Its distinctive design represents an array of values which play important roles in the lives to the people living in the region including dignity, freedom, and responsibility. The first flags which represented the French Polynesian island of Tahiti date back to the 1800s during the reign King Pomare III and Queen Pomare IV.