French Polynesia

French Polynesia
Polynésie française (French)
Pōrīnetia Farāni (Tahitian)
Overseas country and collectivity of France
Flag of French Polynesia
Flag
Official seal of French Polynesia
Coat of arms
Motto: 
"Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" (French)
(English: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity")
Territorial motto: "Tahiti Nui Māre'are'a" (Tahitian)
(English: "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
Anthem: La Marseillaise
("The Marseillaise")
Regional anthem: "Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
Location of French Polynesia
Location of French Polynesia (circled in red)
Sovereign state France
Protectorate proclaimed9 September 1842
Territorial status27 October 1946
Collectivity status28 March 2003
Country status (nominal title)27 February 2004
CapitalPapeete
17°34′S 149°36′W / 17.567°S 149.600°W / -17.567; -149.600
Largest cityFaʻaʻā
Official languagesFrench
Recognised regional languages
Ethnic groups
(1988[1])
66.5% unmixed Polynesians
7.1% mixed Polynesians[a]
9.3% Demis[b]
11.9% Europeans[c]
4.7% East Asians[d]
Demonym(s)French Polynesian
GovernmentDevolved parliamentary dependency
Emmanuel Macron
Éric Spitz
Moetai Brotherson
LegislatureAssembly of French Polynesia
French Parliament
• Senate
2 senators (of 348)
• National Assembly
3 seats (of 577)
Area
• Total
4,167 km2 (1,609 sq mi)
• Land
3,521.2[2] km2 (1,359.5 sq mi)
• Water (%)
12
Population
• Aug. 2022 census
278,786[3] (175th)
• Density
79/km2 (204.6/sq mi) (130th)
GDP (nominal)2019 estimate
• Total
US$6.01 billion[4]
• Per capita
US$21,615[4]
CurrencyCFP franc (₣) (XPF)
Time zone
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Mains electricity
  • 110 V–60 Hz
  • 220 V–60 Hz
Driving sideright
Calling code+689
INSEE code
987
ISO 3166 code
Internet TLD.pf

French Polynesia (/ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒə/ ⓘ POL-ih-NEE-zhə; French: Polynésie française [pɔlinezi fʁɑ̃sɛːz] ⓘ; Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls[5] stretching over more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in the South Pacific Ocean. The total land area of French Polynesia is 3,521 square kilometres (1,359 sq mi),[2] with a population of 278,786 (Aug. 2022 census)[3] of which at least 205,000 live in the Society Islands and the remaining population lives in the rest of the archipelago.

French Polynesia is divided into five groups of islands:

  1. the Society Islands archipelago, comprising the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands
  2. the Tuamotu Archipelago
  3. the Gambier Islands
  4. the Marquesas Islands
  5. the Austral Islands.

Among its 121 islands and atolls, 75 were inhabited at the 2017 census.[5] Tahiti, which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017. Papeete, located on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia. Although not an integral part of its territory, Clipperton Island was administered from French Polynesia until 2007.

Hundreds of years after the Great Polynesian Migration, European explorers began traveling through the region, visiting the islands of French Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited. In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate that they called Établissements français d'Océanie (EFO) (French Establishments/Settlements of Oceania).

In 1946, the EFO became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth Republic, and Polynesians were granted the right to vote through citizenship. In 1957, the EFO were renamed French Polynesia. In 1983 French Polynesia became a member of the Pacific Community, a regional development organization. Since 28 March 2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas collectivity of the French Republic under the constitutional revision of article 74, and later gained, with law 2004-192 of 27 February 2004, an administrative autonomy, two symbolic manifestations of which are the title of the President of French Polynesia and its additional designation as an overseas country.[6]


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  1. ^ Most recent ethnic census, in 1988. "Frontières ethniques et redéfinition du cadre politique à Tahiti" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b "R1- Population sans doubles comptes, des subdivisions, communes et communes associées de Polynésie française, de 1971 à 1996". Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Recensement de la population 2022 – La population légale en Polynésie française au 18 août 2022" (PDF). ISPF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Les grands indicateurs des comptes économiques". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française (ISPF). Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b "French Polynesia at a glance 2020" (PDF). Institut de la statistique de la polynésie française (ISPF). p. 91. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Les statuts de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et de la Polynésie". Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2015.