Geography of French Polynesia
This article describes 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&prime W
- Map references:
- Oceania
- Area:
- Total: 4,167 km² (118 islands and atolls)
- Land: 3,660 km²
- Water: 507 km²
- 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 km²
- 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
See also: French Polynesia
