Territory Summary: French Polynesia

Territory Name: French Polynesia

Capital: Papeete (located on Tahiti)

Government Type: parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France

Background: French Polynesia consists of five archipelagos - the Austral Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Society Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The Marquesas were first settled around 200 B.C. and the Society Islands around A.D. 300. Raiatea in the Society Islands became a center for religion and culture. Exploration of the other islands emanated from Raiatea and by 1000, there were small permanent settlements in all the island groups. Ferdinand MAGELLAN was the first European to see the islands of French Polynesia in 1520, and successive European voyagers traveled through them over the next two centuries. In 1767, British explorer Samuel WALLIS was the first European to visit Tahiti, followed by French navigator Louis Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE in 1768, and British explorer James COOK in 1769. King POMARE I united Tahiti and surrounding islands into the Kingdom of Tahiti in 1788. Protestant missionaries arrived in 1797 and POMARE I’s successor converted in the 1810s, along with most Tahitians. In the 1830s, Queen POMARE IV refused to allow French Catholic missionaries to operate, leading France to declare a protectorate over Tahiti and fight the French-Tahitian War of the 1840s in an attempt to annex the islands. POMARE IV requested British assistance to fight France, and while the UK did not provide material support, it did diplomatically pressure France to simply maintain its protectorate status.

In 1880, King POMARE V ceded Tahiti and its possessions to France, changing its status into a colony. France then claimed the Gambier Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago and by 1901 had incorporated all five island groups into its establishments in Oceania. A Tahitian nationalist movement formed in 1940, leading France to grant French citizenship to the islanders in 1946 and change it to an overseas territory. In 1957, the islands’ name was changed to French Polynesia and the following year, 64% of voters chose to stay part of France when they approved a new constitution. Uninhabited Mururoa Atoll was established as a French nuclear test site in 1962 and tests were conducted between 1966 and 1992 (underground beginning in 1975). France also conducted tests at Fangataufa Atoll, including its last nuclear test in 1996.

France granted French Polynesia partial internal autonomy in 1977 and expanded autonomy in 1984. French Polynesia was converted into an overseas collectivity in 2003 and renamed an overseas territory inside the Republic in 2004. Pro-independence politicians won a surprise majority in local elections that same year but in subsequent elections have been relegated to a vocal minority. In 2013, French Polynesia was relisted on the UN List of Non-Self Governing Territories.

Region: Oceania

Population: 301,488 (2023 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%

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

Currency: CFP Franc (XPF)

Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $5.65 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in 2015 dollars

Real GDP Growth Rate: 4.47% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per Capita: $18,600 (2021 est.) note: data are in 2015 dollars

Exports: 

• $162 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 208

Export Commodities: paintings, pearls, tuna, aircraft parts, coconut oil, vanilla, electrical panels (2021)

Export Partners: United States 47%, Japan 17%, France 14%, Netherlands 4%, Poland 3% (2021)

Imports: 

• $1.66 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 180

Import Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment, passenger ships (2021)

Import Partners: France 43%, New Zealand 12%, China 8%, United States 6%, Singapore 5% (2021)

Natural Resources: timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

Agricultural Products: coconuts, fruit, roots/tubers, pineapples, cassava, sugar cane, eggs, tropical fruit, tomatoes

Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates

Industrial Production Growth Rate: 

• 4.3% (2014 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

• Comparison Ranking: 71

Labor Force: 136,000 (2022 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 11.8% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Natural Hazards: occasional cyclonic storms in January

Geography:

• Total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls; 67 are inhabited)

• Land: 3,827 sq km

• Water: 340 sq km

(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)

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