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


fr:Géographie de la Polynésie française

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