The French annexed various
Polynesian island groups during the 19th
century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by
resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year
moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996.
Tahiti inIncludes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral); 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
Location:
Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of
the way from South America to Australia.
Comparative
area: slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
Natural
Resources: timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
Population:
270,485 (July 2005 est.) the majority live on Tahiti, 16% of the
total population living in
Papeete. This population is made up of approximately 83% Tahitian, 5%
Asians, Europeans.
| Ethnic groups: |
Polynesian
78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4% |
| Religions: |
Protestant
54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6% |
| Languages: |
French
61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%,
other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census) |
Climate:
Tahiti enjoys a fairly even year round climate with
daytime
temperatures usually around 28-33 degrees Celsius. This drops slightly
at night. From November through to May the weather is warmer with
higher levels of humidity, from June to October the weather is cooler
and drier. Rainfall is heaviest in the warmer season. Average maximum
temperature in Papeete is 33°C in January, 30°C in July.
Economic
Overview: 
Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region,
French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to
one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by
the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French
nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to the economy fell
sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary
source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl
farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector
primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits
substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally
at creating new businesses and strengthening social services.
Agricultural
Products: coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits; poultry,
beef, dairy products, coffee
Export
Partners: France 36.6%, Japan 22.7%, US 16.1%,
Niger 13%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)
Import
Partners: France 47.6%, New Zealand 8.9%, Singapore
8.4%, Australia 8.4%, US 7.1% (2004)
Telephones,
main lines: 52,500 (2002)
Mobile:
90,000 (2002)
Radio
Broadcast Stations: AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)
TV
Broadcast Stations: 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Internet
Users: 35,000 (2002)
Airports:
50 (2004 est.)
