Short facts about the geography of French Polynesia

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

Source: World Factbook