The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were halted in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.
timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
arable land: 0.68%
permanent crops: 6.28%
other: 93.03% (2011)
280,026 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%
French (official) 61.1%, Polynesian (official) 31.4%, Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census)
definition: age 14 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98% (1977 est.)
Papeete (located on Tahiti)
parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity
none (overseas lands of France)
Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1789); note - the local holiday is Internal Autonomy Day, 29 June (1880)
