)

Territorial motto:
( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")

, anthem =

, song_type = Regional anthem , song = "

Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui "" is the territorial anthem of the overseas country of French Polynesia. It is sung during public or sport events alongside the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise". The lyrics are in Tahitian. It was adopted on 10 June 1993 by the Assem ...

" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of French Polynesia , map_caption = Location of French Polynesia (circled in red) , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type =

Sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined ter ...

, subdivision_name = , established_title = Protectorate proclaimed , established_date = 9 September 1842 , established_title2 = Territorial status , established_date2 = 27 October 1946 , established_title3 = Collectivity status , established_date3 = 28 March 2003 , established_title4 = Country status (nominal title) , established_date4 = 27 February 2004 , official_languages = French , regional_languages = , capital =

Papeete Papeete ( Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subd ...

, coordinates = , largest_city = Fa'a'ā , demonym = French Polynesian , ethnic_groups = 66.5% unmixed

Polynesians Polynesians form an ethnolinguistic group of closely related people who are native to Polynesia (islands in the Polynesian Triangle), an expansive region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Sou ...

7.1% mixed Polynesians
9.3% Demis
11.9%

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (20 ...

4.7%

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

ns , ethnic_groups_year = 1988Most recent ethnic census, in 1988. , government_type = Devolved

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

dependency , leader_title1 = President of the French Republic , leader_name1 =

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

, leader_title2 =

President of French Polynesia , flag = , flagsize = , flagcaption = , insignia = Coat of arms of French Polynesia.svg , insigniasize = , insigniacaption = Coat of arms of French P ...

, leader_name2 =

Édouard Fritch Winfred Édouard Tereori Fritch (born 4 January 1952) is a French politician who has served as President of French Polynesia since 2014. He previously presided over the Assembly of French Polynesia on three occasions: from April 2007 to February ...

, leader_title3 = High Commissioner of the Republic , leader_name3 =

Dominique Sorain Dominique Sorain (born 31 July 1955 in Caudéran, France) is a French senior civil servant. He has been serving as High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = ...

, legislature =

Assembly of French Polynesia The Assembly of French Polynesia (french: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te apo'ora'a rahi o te fenua Mā'ohi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Pla ...

, national_representation = French Parliament , national_representation_type1 =

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, national_representation1 = 2 senators (of 348) , national_representation_type2 =

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

, national_representation2 = 3 seats (of 577) , area_km2 = 4,167 , area_rank = , area_land_km2 = 3,521.2 , percent_water = 12 , elevation_max_m = , elevation_max_ft = , population_census =278,786 , population_census_rank =175th , population_census_year =Aug. 2022 , population_density_km2 = 79 , population_density_sq_mi = 205 , population_density_rank = 130th , GDP_PPP = , GDP_PPP_rank = , GDP_PPP_year = , GDP_PPP_per_capita = , GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = , GDP_nominal = US$6.01 billion , GDP_nominal_rank = , GDP_nominal_year = 2019 , GDP_nominal_per_capita =US$21,615 , GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = , HDI_year = , HDI_change = , HDI = , currency = CFP franc (₣) , currency_code = XPF , timezone = , utc_offset_list = , date_format = dd/mm/yyyy , electricity = , drives_on = right , calling_code = +689 , iso_code = , cctld =

.pf .pf is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for French Polynesia. The name ''pf'' derived from the French name of '. A local contact has to be appointed to register a domain name under .pf. The only 2nd level domain available for p ...

French Polynesia (; french: Polynésie française ; ty, Pōrīnetia Farāni) is an overseas collectivity of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and its sole

overseas country The special territories of members of the European Economic Area (EEA) are the 32 special territories of EU member states and EFTA member states which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside ...

. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gro ...

s stretching over more than in the South Pacific Ocean. The total land area of French Polynesia is , with a population of 278,786 (Aug. 2022 census). French Polynesia is divided into five groups of islands: # the

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...

archipelago, comprising the

Windward Islands french: Îles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean Sea No ...

and the Leeward Islands # the Tuamotu Archipelago # the Gambier Islands # the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in ...

# the

Austral Islands The Austral Islands (french: Îles Australes, officially ''Archipel des Australes;'' ty, Tuha'a Pae) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic in the South Pacific. Geographically, t ...

. Among its 121 islands and atolls, 75 were inhabited at the 2017 census. Tahiti, which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia .

, 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 A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...

that they called ' (French Establishments/Settlements of Oceania). In 1946, the ' 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 ' 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 , flag = , flagsize = , flagcaption = , insignia = Coat of arms of French Polynesia.svg , insigniasize = , insigniacaption = Coat of arms of French P ...

and its additional designation as an

History

Anthropologists and historians believe the Great Polynesian Migration commenced around 1500 BC as

Austronesian peoples The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar that speak Au ...

went on a journey using celestial navigation to find islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The first islands of French Polynesia to be settled were the Marquesas Islands in about 200 BC. The Polynesians later ventured southwest and discovered the Society Islands around AD 300. European encounters began in 1521 when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, sailing at the service of the Spanish Crown, sighted Puka-Puka in the Tuāmotu-Gambier Archipelago. In 1606 another Spanish expedition under Pedro Fernandes de Queirós sailed through Polynesia sighting an inhabited island on 10 February which they called Sagitaria (or Sagittaria), probably the island of

Rekareka Rekareka, Tehuata or Tu-henua, is an atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located in the Centre East of the group, 83 km southeast from Raroia, and lies 70 km NW of Tauere, its nearest neighbor. The shoal water ...

to the southeast of Tahiti. In 1722, Dutchman Jakob Roggeveen while on an expedition sponsored by the Dutch West India Company, charted the location of six islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago and two islands in the Society Islands, one of which was Bora Bora. British explorer Samuel Wallis became the first European navigator to visit Tahiti in 1767. French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville also visited Tahiti in 1768, while British explorer

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

arrived in 1769, and observed the transit of Venus. He would stop in Tahiti again in 1773 during his second voyage to the Pacific, and once more in 1777 during his third and last voyage before being killed in Hawaii. In 1772, the Spanish Viceroy of Peru Don Manuel de Amat ordered a number of expeditions to Tahiti under the command of Domingo de Bonechea who was the first European to explore all of the main islands beyond Tahiti. A short-lived Spanish settlement was created in 1774, and for a time some maps bore the name ''Isla de Amat'' after Viceroy Amat. Christian missions began with Spanish priests who stayed in Tahiti for a year. Protestants from the London Missionary Society settled permanently in Polynesia in 1797. Society kingdoms

King

Pōmare II Pōmare II (c. 1782 – December 7, 1821) (fully Tu Tunuieaiteatua Pōmare II or in modern orthography Tū Tū-nui-ʻēʻa-i-te-atua Pōmare II; historically misspelled as Tu Tunuiea'aite-a-tua), was the second king of Tahiti between 1782 and 1 ...

of Tahiti was forced to flee to Mo'orea in 1803; he and his subjects were converted to Protestantism in 1812. French Catholic missionaries arrived on Tahiti in 1834; their expulsion in 1836 caused France to send a gunboat in 1838. In 1842, Tahiti and Tahuata were declared a French protectorate, to allow Catholic missionaries to work undisturbed. The capital of Papeetē was founded in 1843. In 1880, France annexed Tahiti, changing the status from that of a protectorate to that of a

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

. The island groups were not officially united until the establishment of the French protectorate in 1889. After France declared a protectorate over Tahiti in 1842 and fought a war with Tahiti (1844–1847), the British and French signed the

Jarnac Convention The Jarnac Convention was a bilateral agreement between the Kingdom of France and the United Kingdom in 1847 at the end of the Franco-Tahitian War. Its purpose was to end Franco-British diplomatic tension by guaranteeing the independence of the Le ...

in 1847, declaring that the kingdoms of

Raiatea Raiatea or Ra'iatea ( Tahitian: ''Ra‘iātea'') is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the "centre" of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that th ...

, Huahine and Bora Bora were to remain independent from both powers and that no single chief was to be allowed to reign over the entire archipelago. France eventually broke the agreement, and the islands were annexed and became a colony in 1888 (eight years after the Windward Islands) after many native resistances and conflicts called the

Leewards War The annexation of the Leeward Islands (french: Annexion des îles Sous-le-vent, link=no) or the Leewards War (french: Guerre des îles Sous-le-vent, link=no) was a series of diplomatic and armed conflicts between the French Third Republic and t ...

, lasting until 1897. In the 1880s, France claimed the Tuamotu Archipelago, which formerly belonged to the Pōmare Dynasty, without formally annexing it. Having declared a protectorate over Tahuata in 1842, the French regarded the entire Marquesas Islands as French. In 1885, France appointed a governor and established a general council, thus giving it the proper administration for a colony. The islands of

Rimatara Rimatara is the westernmost inhabited island in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. It is located south of Tahiti and west of Rurutu. The land area of Rimatara is , and that of the Maria islets is .Rūrutu unsuccessfully lobbied for British protection in 1888, so in 1889 they were annexed by France. Postage stamps were first issued in the colony in 1892. The first official name for the colony was (Establishments in Oceania); in 1903 the general council was changed to an advisory council and the colony's name was changed to (French Establishments in Oceania). In 1940, the administration of French Polynesia recognised the Free French Forces and many Polynesians served in World War II. Unknown at the time to the French and Polynesians, the Konoe Cabinet in Imperial Japan on 16 September 1940 included French Polynesia among the many territories which were to become Japanese possessions, as part of the " Eastern Pacific Government-General" in the post-war world. However, in the course of the war in the Pacific the Japanese were not able to launch an actual invasion of the French islands. FRE-OCE-12-French Oceania-2 francs (1943)

FRE-OCE-12-French Oceania-2 francs (1943)

In 1946, Polynesians were granted French citizenship and the islands' status was changed to an overseas territory; the islands' name was changed in 1957 to (French Polynesia). In 1962, France's early

nuclear testing Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...

ground in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

was no longer usable when Algeria became independent and the

Moruroa atoll Moruroa (Mururoa, Mururura), also historically known as Aopuni, is an atoll which forms part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is located about southeast of Tahiti. Administratively Moruroa Atoll ...

in the Tuamotu Archipelago was selected as the new testing site; tests were conducted underground after 1974. In 1977, French Polynesia was granted partial internal autonomy; in 1984, the autonomy was extended. French Polynesia became a full overseas collectivity of France in 2003.French Polynesia
''

The World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print version is availabl ...

''.

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

.. Retrieved 25 September 2012. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing at

Fangataufa Fangataufa (or Fangatafoa) is an uninhabited coral atoll in the eastern part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. The atoll has been fully-owned by the French state since 1964. From 1966 to 1996 it was used as a nuclear test site by t ...

atoll after a three-year moratorium. The last test was on 27 January 1996. On 29 January 1996, France announced that it would accede to the

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty to ban nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nat ...

, and no longer test nuclear weapons. French Polynesia was relisted in the

United Nations list of non-self-governing territories Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter defines a non-self-governing territory (NSGT) as a territory "whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government". In practice, an NSGT is a territory deemed by the United Nations Gene ...

in 2013, making it eligible for a UN-backed independence referendum. The relisting was made after the indigenous opposition was voiced and supported by the Polynesian Leaders Group, Pacific Conference of Churches, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Non-Aligned Movement, World Council of Churches, and Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Governance

Under the terms of Article 74 of the French constitution and the Organic Law 2014–192 on the statute of autonomy of French Polynesia, politics of French Polynesia takes place in a framework of a

representative democratic Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

French overseas collectivity, whereby the President of French Polynesia is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...

, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the

(the territorial assembly). Political life in French Polynesia was marked by great instability from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s. The anti-independence right-wing president of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse, who had been in power since 1991, had supported the resumption of the French nuclear weapons tests in 1995, and had obtained from his longtime friend and political ally Jacques Chirac, then president of France, a status of expanded autonomy for French Polynesia in 2004, failed to secure an absolute majority in the

2004 French Polynesian legislative election Elections for the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia, were held on May 23, 2004. In a surprise result Oscar Temaru's pro-independence progressive coalition formed Government with a one-seat majority in t ...

, resulting in deadlock at the

. Flosse's longtime opponent, the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru, whose pro-independence coalition had won one less seat than Flosse's party in the Assembly, was nonetheless elected president of French Polynesia by the Assembly in June 2004 thanks to the votes of two non-aligned Assembly members. This resulted in several years of political instability, as neither the pro- nor the anti-independence camps were assured of a majority, depending on the votes of smaller non-aligned parties representing the interests of the distant islands of French Polynesia (as opposed to Tahiti). Temaru was toppled from the presidency of French Polynesia in October 2004, succeeded by Flosse who was toppled in March 2005, succeeded by Temaru again who was toppled in December 2006, succeeded by Gaston Tong Sang, a close ally of Flosse. On 14 September 2007, the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru was elected president of French Polynesia for the third time in three years (with 27 of 44 votes cast in the territorial assembly). He replaced former president Gaston Tong Sang, opposed to independence, who lost a

no-confidence vote A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or m ...

in the Assembly of French Polynesia on 31 August after the longtime former president of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse, hitherto opposed to independence, sided with his long enemy Oscar Temaru to topple the government of Gaston Tong Sang. Oscar Temaru, however, had no stable majority in the Assembly of French Polynesia, and new territorial elections were held in February 2008 to solve the political crisis. Assemblée de Polynésie

The party of Gaston Tong Sang won the territorial elections, but that did not solve the political crisis: the two minority parties of Oscar Temaru and Gaston Flosse, who together had one more member in the territorial assembly than the political party of Gaston Tong Sang, allied to prevent Gaston Tong Sang from becoming president of French Polynesia. Gaston Flosse was then elected president of French Polynesia by the territorial assembly on 23 February 2008 with the support of the pro-independence party led by Oscar Temaru, while Oscar Temaru was elected speaker of the territorial assembly with the support of the anti-independence party led by Gaston Flosse. Both formed a coalition cabinet. Many observers doubted that the alliance between the anti-independence Gaston Flosse and the pro-independence Oscar Temaru, designed to prevent Gaston Tong Sang from becoming president of French Polynesia, could last very long. At the French municipal elections held in March 2008, several prominent mayors who were member of the Flosse-Temaru coalition lost their offices in key municipalities of French Polynesia, which was interpreted as a disapproval of the way Gaston Tong Sang, whose party French Polynesian voters had placed first in the territorial elections the month before, had been prevented from becoming president of French Polynesia by the last minute alliance between Flosse and Temaru's parties. Eventually, on 15 April 2008 the government of Gaston Flosse was toppled by a constructive vote of no confidence in the territorial assembly when two members of the Flosse-Temaru coalition left the coalition and sided with Tong Sang's party. Tong Sang's majority in the territorial assembly was very narrow, and he was toppled in February 2009, succeeded by Temaru (supported again by Flosse). Oscar Temaru's return to power was brief as he fell out with Gaston Flosse and was toppled in November 2009, succeeded by Gaston Tong Sang. Tong Sang remained in power for a year and a half before being toppled in a vote of no confidence in April 2011, and succeeded by Temaru. Oscar Temaru's fifth stint as president of French Polynesia lasted two years, during which he campaigned for the re-inscription of French Polynesia on the

. Temaru lost the

2013 French Polynesian legislative election Legislative elections were held in French Polynesia on 21 April and 5 May 2013. The result was a victory for the Tahoera'a Huiraatira party, which won 38 of the 57 seats in the Assembly. Electoral system The election was held using a two round ...

by a wide margin, only two weeks before the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

re-registered French Polynesia on its list of non-self governing territories. This was interpreted by political analysts as a rejection by French Polynesian voters of Temaru's push for independence as well as the consequence of the socioeconomic crisis affecting French Polynesia after years of political instability and corruption scandals. Gaston Flosse, whose anti-independence party was the big winner of the 2013 election, succeeded Oscar Temaru as president of French Polynesia in May 2013, but he was removed from office in September 2014 due to a corruption conviction by France's highest court. Flosse was replaced as president of French Polynesia by his second-in-command in the anti-independence camp,

, who was also Flosse's former son-in-law (divorced from Flosse's daughter). Fritch fell out with Flosse in 2015 as both leaders were vying for control of the anti-independence camp, and Fritch was excluded from Gaston Flosse's party in September 2015, before founding his own anti-independence party, Tapura Huiraatira, in February 2016. His new party managed to keep a majority in the Assembly of French Polynesia, and Fritch remained president of French Polynesia. Political stability has returned in French Polynesia since the split of the anti-independence camp in 2015–2016. Tapura Huiraatira won 70% of the seats in the Assembly of French Polynesia at the

2018 French Polynesian legislative election Legislative elections were held in French Polynesia on 22 April and 6 May 2018. On 22 April 2018, voters cast their ballots in the first round of the election to the Assembly of French Polynesia. A second round was held on 6 May 2018 for the thre ...

, defeating both Oscar Temaru's pro-independence party and Gaston Flosse's anti-independence party, and Édouard Fritch was re-elected president of French Polynesia by the Assembly in May 2018. By 2022, Édouard Fritch was the longest-serving president of French Polynesia since Gaston Flosse in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Administration

Between 1946 and 2003, French Polynesia had the status of an overseas territory (', or ''TOM''). In 2003, it became an overseas collectivity (', or COM). Its statutory law of 27 February 2004 gives it the particular designation of '' overseas country inside the Republic'' (', or POM), but without legal modification of its status.

Relations with mainland France

Despite a local assembly and government, French Polynesia is not in a free association with France, like the Cook Islands with New Zealand. As a French overseas collectivity, the local government has no competence in justice, university education, security and defense. Services in these areas are directly provided and administered by the Government of France, including the National Gendarmerie (which also polices rural and border areas in metropolitan France), and French Armed Forces, French military forces. The collectivity government retains control over primary and secondary education, health, town planning, and the environment. The highest representative of the State in the territory is the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia (french: Haut commissaire de la République en Polynésie française). French Polynesia also sends three Member of Parliament (France), deputies to the National Assembly of France, French National Assembly in three constituencies, French Polynesia's 1st constituency, the 1st representing Papeete and its north-eastern suburbs, plus the Communes of France, commune (municipality) of Moorea-Maiao, Mo'orea-Mai'ao, the Îles Tuamotu-Gambier, Tuāmotu-Gambier administrative division, and the Marquesas Islands administrative division, French Polynesia's 2nd constituency, the 2nd representing much of Tahiti outside Papeete and the Austral Islands administrative subdivision, and French Polynesia's 3rd constituency, the 3rd representing the Leeward Islands Administrative divisions of French Polynesia, administrative subdivision and the south-western suburbs of Papeete. French Polynesia also sends two senators to the Senate of France, French Senate.

Defence

The defence of the collectivity is the responsibility of the French Armed Forces. Just over 1,000 military personnel are deployed in the territory – centred on the Pacific-Polynesian Marine Infantry Regiment (RIMaP-P) – along with modest air transport and surveillance assets. The latter include three Dassault Falcon 20, Falcon 200 Gardian maritime surveillance aircraft from French Naval Aviation, which are to be replaced by the more modern Dassault Falcon 2000, Falcon 2000 Albatros starting in 2025. The former is composed of two CASA/IPTN CN-235, CN-235 tactical transport aircraft drawn from the Air Force's ET 82 "Maine" transport squadron. Three French Navy vessels are based in the territory, including: the surveillance frigate , the patrol and support ship D'Entrecasteaux-class patrol ship, ''Bougainville'' and the coast guard vessel ''Arago''. Flottille 35F of French naval aviation deploys a detachment of two Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, AS 365N Dauphin helicopters in Tahiti. The helicopters carry out a variety of roles in the territory or may be embarked on ''Prairial'' as required. In late 2023 or early 2024, ''Arago'' is to be replaced by ''Teriieroo to Teriierooiterai'', a vessel of the new Patrouilleur Outre-mer, ''Félix Éboué'' class of patrol vessels. The French Navy will further reinforce its offshore patrol capabilities in the region by deploying a second vessel of the class (''Philip Bernardino'') to Tahiti by 2025. The National Gendarmerie deploys some 500 active personnel and civilians, plus around 150 reservists, in French Polynesia. The patrol boat ''Jasmin'' of the Maritime Gendarmerie is also based in the territory.

Geography

The islands of French Polynesia make up a total land area of , scattered over more than of ocean. There are 121 islands in French Polynesia and many more islets or ''motus'' around

s. The highest point is Mount Orohena on Tahiti. It is made up of five archipelagos. The largest and most populated island is Tahiti, in the Society Islands. The archipelagos are: Aside from Tahiti, some other important atolls, islands, and island groups in French Polynesia are: Ahe, Ahē, Bora Bora, Hiva Oa, Hiva 'Oa, Huahine, Maiao, Mai'ao, Maupiti, Mehetia, Meheti'a, Mo'orea, Nuku Hiva,

, Tahaa, Taha'a, Tetiaroa, Tubuai (Austral Islands), Tupua'i and Tupai, Tūpai. French Polynesia is home to four terrestrial ecoregions: Marquesas tropical moist forests, Society Islands tropical moist forests, Tuamotu tropical moist forests, and Tubuai tropical moist forests.

Administrative divisions

French_Polynesia_relief_map_with_communes

French Polynesia is divided in five administrative subdivisions ('): *

(french: les îles Marquises or officially ') * Leeward Islands (french: les îles Sous-le-Vent or officially ') (the two ' Windward Islands and Leeward Islands are part of the Society Islands) *

(french: les îles du Vent or officially ') (the two ' Windward Islands and Leeward Islands are part of the Society Islands) * Îles Tuamotu-Gambier, Tuāmotu-Gambier (french: les Îles Tuamotu-Gambier or officially ') (the Tuamotus and the Gambier Islands) *

(french: les îles Australes or officially ') (including the Bass Islands (French Polynesia), Bass Islands) The five administrative subdivisions are not local councils; they are solely Decentralisation, deconcentrated subdivisions of the French central State. At the head of each administrative subdivision is an ' ("State administrator"), generally simply known as ', also sometimes called ' ("head of the administrative subdivision"). The ' is a civil servant under the authority of the High Commissioner of the French Republic in French Polynesia in

. Four administrative subdivisions (Marquesas Islands, Leeward Islands, Tuamotu-Gambier, and Austral Islands) each also form a deconcentrated subdivision of the government of French Polynesia. These are called ' ("districts"). The head of a ' is the ', known as ' in French ("territorial administrator"), but the Tahitian language, Tahitian title ' is most often used. The ' is the direct representative of the President of French Polynesia, president of French Polynesia's government who appoints him or her. The Windward Islands, due to their proximity to Papeete, do not form a deconcentrated subdivision of the government of French Polynesia. The 5 administrative subdivisions are themselves divided in 48 Communes of France, communes. Like all other communes in the French Republic, these are municipalities in which local residents with either a French or another European Union, EU citizenship elect a municipal council and a mayor in charge of managing local affairs within the commune. Municipal elections occur every six years on the same date as in the rest of the French Republic (the last municipal elections 2020 French municipal elections, took place in 2020). 30 communes are further subdivided in 98 Associated communes of France, associated communes which have each a delegate mayor and a registry office. These 30 communes were subdivided in associated communes either because they have a large land territory (particularly in the larger islands such as Tahiti or Nuku Hiva) or because they are made up of

s distant from each other (particularly in the Tuamotu archipelago), which led to the creation of associated communes for each inhabited atoll. 17 communes (out of French Polynesia's 48 communes) have banded together in three separate communauté de communes, communities of communes. These indirectly elected Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunal councils are still relatively new in French Polynesia, and unlike in metropolitan France and its Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas regions it is not mandatory for the communes in French Polynesia to join an intercommunal council. The three intercommunal councils in existence as of 2022, all formed on a voluntary basis, were: * community of communes of the Marquesas Islands (in French: ''communauté de communes des îles Marquises'', or CODIM), formed in 2010 by all the communes in the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas Islands * community of communes Hava'i (in French: ''communauté de communes Hava'i'', or CCH), formed in 2012 by all the communes in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands, with the exception of Bora-Bora (commune), Bora-Bora which preferred to remain separate for financial reasons * community of communes Terehēamanu (in French: ''communauté de communes Terehēamanu''), formed in 2021 by 5 exurban and rural communes on the eastern side of the island of Tahiti: Hitiaa O Te Ra, Taiarapu-Est, Taiarapu-Ouest, Teva I Uta, and Papara. These communities of communes, as elsewhere in the French Republic, are not full-fledged territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities, but only federations of communes. From a legal standpoint, the only territorial collectivities in French Polynesia are the overseas collectivity of French Polynesia and the 48 communes.

Demographics

Total population was 278,786 according to the August 18, 2022 census, 68.7% of whom lived on the island of Tahiti alone. The urban area of Papeete, the capital city, has 136,771 inhabitants (2017 census). At the 2017 census, 89.0% of people living in French Polynesia had been born there (up from 87.3% in 2007); 8.1% had been born in Metropolitan France (down from 9.3% in 2007); 1.2% were born elsewhere in overseas France (down from 1.4% in 2007); and 1.7% were from foreign countries (down from 2.0% in 2007). The population of natives of Metropolitan France living in French Polynesia has declined in relative terms since the 1980s, but in absolute terms their population peaked at the 2007 census, when 24,265 lived in French Polynesia (not counting their children born there). With the local economic crisis, their population declined to 22,278 at the 2012 census, and 22,387 at the 2017 census. At the 1988 census, the last census which asked questions regarding ethnicity, 66.5% of people were ethnically unmixed Polynesia#Cultures of Polynesia, Polynesians, 7.1% were ethnically Polynesians with light European and/or East Asian mixing, 11.9% were European ethnic groups, Europeans (mostly French people, French), 9.3% were people of mixed European and Polynesian descent, the so-called Demis (literally meaning "Half"), and 4.7% were East Asians (mainly Overseas Chinese, Chinese). Chinese, Demis, and the white populace are essentially concentrated on the island of Tahiti, particularly in the urban area of Papeete, where their share of the population is thus much greater than in French Polynesia overall. Despite a long history of ethnic mixing, ethnic tensions have been growing in recent years, with politicians using a xenophobia, xenophobic discourse and fanning the flame of nationalism.

Historical population

Culture

Languages

All the indigenous languages of French Polynesia are Polynesian languages, Polynesian. French Polynesia has been linguistically diverse since ancient times, with each community having its own local speech variety. These dialects can be grouped into seven languages on the basis of mutual intelligibility: Tahitian language, Tahitian, Tuamotuan language, Tuamotuan, Rapa language, Rapa, Austral language, Austral, North Marquesan, South Marquesan, and Mangareva language, Mangarevan. Some of these, especially Tuamotuan, are really dialect continua formed by a patchwork of different dialects. The distinction between languages and dialects is notoriously difficult to establish, and so some authors may view two varieties as dialects of the same language, while others may view them as distinct languages. In this way, North and South Marquesan are often grouped together as a single Marquesan language, and Rapa is often viewed as part of Austral subfamily. At the same time, Ra'ivavae is often viewed as distinct from them. French language, French is the sole official language of French Polynesia. An organic law of 12 April 1996 states that "French is the official language, Tahitian and other Polynesian languages can be used." At the 2017 census, among the population whose age was 15 and older, 73.9% of people reported that the language they spoke the most at home was French (up from 68.6% at the 2007 census), 20.2% reported that the language they spoke the most at home was Tahitian language, Tahitian (down from 24.3% at the 2007 census), 2.6% reported Marquesan language, Marquesan and 0.2% the related Mangareva language (same percentages for both at the 2007 census), 1.2% reported any of the Austral languages (down from 1.3% at the 2007 census), 1.0% reported Tuamotuan language, Tuamotuan (down from 1.5% at the 2007 census), 0.6% reported a Varieties of Chinese, Chinese dialect (41% of which was Hakka Chinese, Hakka) (down from 1.0% at the 2007 census), and 0.4% another language (more than half of which was English language, English) (down from 0.5% at the 2007 census). At the same census, 95.2% of people whose age was 15 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French (up from 94.7% at the 2007 census), whereas only 1.3% reported that they had no knowledge of French (down from 2.0% at the 2007 census). 86.5% of people whose age was 15 or older reported that they had some form of knowledge of at least one Polynesian language (up from 86.4% at the 2007 census but down from 87.8% at the 2012 census), whereas 13.5% reported that they had no knowledge of any of the Polynesian languages (down from 13.6% at the 2007 census but up from 12.2% at the 2012 census).

Music

French Polynesia appeared in the world music scene in 1992, recorded by French musicologist Pascal Nabet-Meyer with the release of The Tahitian Choir's recordings of unaccompanied vocal Christian music called himene tārava. This form of singing is common in French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, and is notable for a unique drop in pitch at the end of the phrases, a characteristic formed by several different voices, accompanied by a steady grunting of staccato, Non-lexical vocables in music, nonlexical syllables.

Religion

Christianity is the main religion of the islands. A majority of 54% belongs to various Protestantism, Protestant churches, especially the Maohi Protestant Church, which is the largest and accounts for more than 50% of the population. It traces its origins to Pōmare II, the king of Tahiti, who converted from traditional beliefs to the Reformed tradition brought to the islands by the London Missionary Society. Latin Rite Catholics constitute a large minority of 38.3% of the population (2019) which has its own ecclesiastical province, comprising the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete, Archdiocese of Papeete and its only suffragan, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Taiohae, Diocese of Taiohae. The number and proportion of Catholics has increased significantly since 1950, when they represented 21.6% of the total population. Data from 1991 revealed that Catholics were in the majority in the Tuamotu Islands, Gambier Islands and the

, while Protestants formed the majority in the

and several of the

such as Tahiti. This diversity is due to the fact that Protestant missionaries (from England and the United States) first came to one group of islands, and after French colonisation the Catholic Church spread to several more scattered islands, but also to the main island of Tahiti. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in French Polynesia, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 28,147 members . Community of Christ, another denomination within the Latter Day Saint movement, Latter-Day Saint tradition, claimed 9,256 total French Polynesian members as of 2018 including Mareva Arnaud Tchong who serves in the church's governing Council of Twelve Apostles (Community of Christ), Council of Twelve Apostles. There were about 3,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Tahiti , and an estimated 500 Muslims in French Polynesia.

Cuisine

Due to the island location and the fact that the French Polynesia produce a significant array of fruits and vegetables, natural local produce, especially coconut, features in many of the dishes of the islands as does fresh seafood. foods like Faraoa 'ipo, Poisson cru and Rēti'a.

Sports

Football

The sport of Football (soccer), football in the island of Tahiti is run by the Fédération Tahitienne de Football.

Va'a

The Polynesian traditional sport va'a is practiced in all the islands. French Polynesia hosts the an international race between Tahiti, Huahine and Bora Bora.

Surfing

French Polynesia is famous for its Surf break, reef break waves. Teahupo'o is probably the most renowned, regularly ranked in the best waves of the world. This site hosts the annual Billabong Pro Teahupoo, Billabong Pro Tahiti surf competition, the 7th stop of the World championship tour (WCT) surfing, World Championship Tour, and is scheduled to host the surfing events of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Kitesurfing

There are many spots to practice kitesurfing in French Polynesia, with Tahiti, Moorea, Bora-Bora, Maupiti and Raivavae being among the most iconic. Fakarava Atoll Passe Sud

Diving

French Polynesia is internationally known for diving. Each archipelago offers opportunities for divers. Rangiroa and Fakarava in the Tuamotus, Tuamotu islands are the most famous spots in the area.

Rugby

Rugby is also popular in French Polynesia, specifically Rugby union.

Television

Television channels with local programming include Polynésie la 1ère (established in 1965) and Tahiti Nui Television (established in 2000). Channels from metropolitan France are also available.

Economy and infrastructure

The legal tender of French Polynesia is the CFP franc which has a fixed exchange rate with the euro. The nominal gross domestic product (or GDP) of French Polynesia in 2019 was 6.01 billion United States dollar, U.S. dollars at market exchange rates, the seventh-largest economy in Oceania after Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Guam. The GDP per capita was US$21,615 in 2019 (at market exchange rates, not at Purchasing power parity, PPP), lower than in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Guam, and New Caledonia, but higher than in all other independent insular states and dependent territories of Oceania. French Polynesia was severely affected by the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and subsequent Great Recession, and experienced as a result 4 years of recession from 2009 to 2012. French Polynesia renewed with economic growth in 2013, and experienced strong economic growth in the 2nd half of the 2010s, with an average Real gross domestic product, real GDP growth rate of +2.8% per year from 2016 to 2019, before being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which has led to another recession. French Polynesia has a moderately developed economy, which is dependent on imported goods, tourism, and the financial assistance of mainland France. Tourist facilities are well developed and are available on the major islands. Main agricultural productions are coconuts (copra), vegetables and fruits. French Polynesia exports noni juice, a high quality Vanilla production in French Polynesia, vanilla, and the famous Tahitian pearl, black Tahitian pearls which accounted for 55% of exports (in value) in 2008. French Polynesia's seafloor contains rich deposits of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and Copper extraction, copper that are not exploited. In 2008, French Polynesia's imports amounted to 2.2 billion U.S. dollars and exports amounted to 0.2 billion U.S. dollars.

Transportation

There are 53 airports in French Polynesia; 46 are paved. Fa'a'ā International Airport is the only international airport in French Polynesia. Each island has its own airport that serves flights to other islands. Air Tahiti is the main airline that flies around the islands.

Communication

In 2017, Alcatel Submarine Networks, a unit of Nokia, launched a project to connect many of the islands in French Polynesia with underwater fiber optic cable. The project, called NATITUA, is intended to improve French Polynesian broadband connectivity by linking Tahiti to 10 islands in the Tuamotu and Marquesas archipelagos. In August 2018, a celebration was held to commemorate the arrival of a submarine cable from

to the atoll of Hao, extending the network by about 1000 kilometres.

Notable people

* Taïna Barioz (born 1988), FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2011, World Champion skier representing France. * Billy Besson, Olympic sailor representing France * Michel Bourez (born 1985), professional surfer. * Cheyenne Brando (1970–1995), model, daughter of Marlon Brando and Tarita Teriipaia. * Jacques Brel (1929–1978), Belgian musician who lived in French Polynesia near the end of his life. * Jean Gabilou, singer (born 1944), represented France in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. *Chantal Galenon, politician and women's rights activist. * Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), French post-impressionist painter who spent the last years of his life in French Polynesia. * Conrad Hall (1926–2003), American cinematographer. * Vaitiare Bandera, Vaitiare Hirson-Asars (born 1964), actress. * Ella Koon (born 1979), singer, actress and model. * Karina Lombard (born 1969), French-American model and actress. * Pouvanaa a Oopa, Pouvāna'a 'Ō'opa (1895–1977), politician and Tahitian nationalist. * Fabrice Santoro (born 1972), professional tennis player. * Tarita Teriipaia (born 1941), actress, third wife of Marlon Brando. * Marama Vahirua (born 1980), footballer, cousin of Pascal Vahirua. * Pascal Vahirua (born 1966), French former international footballer. * Célestine Hitiura Vaite (born 1966), writer.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * James Rogers and Luis Simón
The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union and Their Potential Role for the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
Brussels: European Parliament, 2009. 25 pp. * Jean-Marc Régnault, ''Le pouvoir confisqué en Polynésie française. L'affrontement Temaru-Flosse''. Les Indes savantes, 2005. *

External links

; Government
High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia

Presidency of French Polynesia

Assembly of French Polynesia

Legal publication service in French Polynesia

Administrative Subdivisions of French Polynesia
; General information *
Encyclopédie collaborative du patrimoine culturel et naturel polynésien

French Polynesia
''

''.

.
French Polynesia
at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' * * ; Travel
Official Tourism Website
{{Authority control French Polynesia, 1842 establishments in Oceania 1842 establishments in the French colonial empire European colonisation in Oceania French-speaking countries and territories Geography of Polynesia Island countries Overseas collectivities of France Small Island Developing States States and territories established in 1842