1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
tropical, but moderate
Coastline
2,525 km
Communists
Communist party membership negligible
Comparative area
larger than Rhode Island
Contiguous zone
12 nm
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Environment
occasional cyclonic storm in January
Ethnic divisions
78% Polynesian, 12% Chinese, 6% local French, 4% metropolitan French
Extended economic zone
200 nm
Land use
1% arable land; 19% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 44% other
Member of
WFTU
Nationality
noun — French Polynesian(s); adjective — French Polynesian
Population
185,683 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.84%
Special notes
Makatea is one of three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific (others are Banaba or Ocean Island in Kiribati and Nauru)
Terrain
mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
4,000 km2; land area: 3,660 km2
Economy
Agriculture
limited vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa, bananas, sugar
Aid
bilateral commitments, ODA and OOF (FY70-79), from Western (non-US) countries, $700 million
Budget
$101 million (1982)
Electric power
31,000 kW capacity; 156 million kWh produced, 1,770 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$37.0 million (1982); shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
catch 1,430 metric tons (1983 est.)
GDP
$2.0 billion, $3,239 per capita (1981)
Imports
$276.0 million (1982); food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods, producer goods, and petroleum
Major industries
construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Major trade partners
exports — 54% US, 17% Japan, 15% France, 5% Martinique; imports — 53% France, 15% Trinidad and Tobago, 10% US (1981)
Monetary conversion rate
6.62 French francs=US$l (November 1986)
Natural resources
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, clay, lowgrade iron ore
Communications
Airfields
11 total, 11 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
680 km total; 510 km paved, 170 km improved and unimproved earth
Inland waterways
460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km possibly navigable by native craft
Military manpower
males 15-49, 21,000; 15,000 fit for military service (1986 est.) lies , . Marquises ' f South Pacific Ocean ** -•" '«><•£ , . .//es "" ..PAPEETE V'1 Tuamotu lies de -<f . la Societe '•"''' \- '> •- • AM • Tubuai See regional mi p X Rapa 500km
Ports
1 major (Cayenne), 7 minor
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
fair open-wire and radio-relay system with about 18,100 telephones (27.2 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 7 FM, 9 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station Defense Forces Defense is the responsibility of France