French Polynesia Geography Profile 2013

Location

Oceania, five archipelagoes (Archipel Des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about half way between South America and Australia

Geographic coordinates

15 00 S, 140 00 W

Map references

Oceania

Area

total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls)
land: 3,827 sq km
water: 340 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries

0 km

Coastline

2,525 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical, but moderate

Terrain

mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m

Natural resources

timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

Land use

arable land: 0.75%
permanent crops: 5.5%
other: 93.75% (2005)

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards

occasional cyclonic storms in January

Environment - current issues

NA

Geography - note

includes five archipelagoes (four volcanic, one 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