French Polynesia Geography
French Polynesia Geography: A summary of information about French Polynesia Geography, from government research data as well as independent research and other sources.
French Polynesia: Geography
Location
Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia
Geographic coordinates
15 00 S, 140 00 W
Map references
Oceania
Area
total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
2,525 km
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 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: 1% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 31% other: 57% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Natural hazards
occasional cyclonic storms in January
Environment - current issues
NA
Geography - note
includes five archipelagoes; 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
