218 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
218 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
FRENCH POLYNESIA
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(overseas territory of France)
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 3,941 km2; land area: 3,660 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than one-third the size of
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Connecticut
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 2,525 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical, but moderate
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Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
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Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt
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Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 19%; meadows and
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pastures 5%; forest and woodland 31%; other 44%
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Environment: occasional cyclonic storm in January; includes five
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archipelagoes
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Note: Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great
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phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean--the others are Banaba
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(Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru
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PEOPLE
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Population: 195,046 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)
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Birth rate: 31 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--French Polynesian(s); adjective--French
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Polynesian
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Ethnic divisions: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%,
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metropolitan French 4%
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Religion: mainly Christian; Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%,
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other 16%
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Language: French (official), Tahitian
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Literacy: 98% (male 98%, female 98%) age 14 and over but definition
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of literacy not available (1977)
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Labor force: 76,630 employed (1988)
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Organized labor: NA
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Territory of French Polynesia
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Type: overseas territory of France since 1946
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Capital: Papeete
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Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France);
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there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
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Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named
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Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles
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du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent; note--Clipperton Island is administered
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from French Polynesia and may have become a dependency of French
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Polynesia
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Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
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Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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Legal system: based on French system
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National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
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Executive branch: French president, high commissioner of the
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republic, president of the Council of Ministers, vice president of the
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Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly
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Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since
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21 May 1981); High Commissioner of the Republic Jean MONTPEZAT
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(since NA November 1987);
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Head of Government--President of the Council of Ministers
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Gaston FLOSSE (since 10 May 1991);
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Vice President of the Council of Ministers NA
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira; Gaullist), Gaston FLOSSE;
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Polynesian Union Party (Te Tiarama; centrist), Alexandre LEONTIEFF;
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New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api), Emile VERNAUDON;
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Polynesian Liberation Front (Tavini Huiraatira), Oscar TEMARU;
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other small parties
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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Territorial Assembly--last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held
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March 1996); results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(41 total) People's Rally (Gaullist) 18, Polynesian Union Party
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14, New Fatherland Party 5, other 4;
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French Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held
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September 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(1 total) party NA;
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French National Assembly last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be
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held June 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(2 total) People's Rally (Gaullist) 1, New Fatherland Party 1
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Member of: FZ, SPC, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: as an overseas territory of France,
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French Polynesian interests are represented in the US by France
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Flag: the flag of France is used
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in
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the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to
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one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by
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the military or supports the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about
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20% of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings.
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GDP: $1.2 billion, per capita $6,300; real growth rate NA% (1990
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1989 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 8% (1986 est.)
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Budget: revenues $614 million; expenditures $957 million, including
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capital expenditures of $NA (1988)
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Exports: $75 million (f.o.b., 1988);
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commodities--coconut products 79%, mother-of-pearl 14%, vanilla,
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shark meat;
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partners--France 54%, US 17%, Japan 17%
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Imports: $806 million (c.i.f., 1988);
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commodities--fuels, foodstuffs, equipment;
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partners--France 53%, US 11%, Australia 6%, NZ 5%
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External debt: $NA
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 72,000 kW capacity; 265 million kWh produced,
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1,390 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts
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Agriculture: coconut and vanilla plantations; vegetables and fruit;
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poultry, beef, dairy products
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1970-88), $3.95 billion
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Currency: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (plural--francs);
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1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
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Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per
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US$1--93.28 (January 1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30 (1988),
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109.27 (1987), 125.92 (1986), 163.35 (1985); note--linked at the rate of
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18.18 to the French franc
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 600 km (1982)
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Ports: Papeete, Bora-bora
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Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,128
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GRT/6,710 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 1 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo;
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note--a captive subset of the French register
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Civil air: about 6 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 43 total, 41 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: 33,200 telephones; 84,000 radio receivers;
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26,400 TV sets; stations--5 AM, 2 FM, 6 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
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earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 50,844; NA fit for military
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service
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Note: defense is responsibility of France
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