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Tahiti: Facts & Figures
| Geographical location |
7° - 29° S, 131°
- 156° W |
| Number of islands |
118 |
| Area |
3,600 km 2 |
| Area of ocean |
4 mill km 2 |
| Population |
258,000 of which 67% Polynesian, 11.7%
European, 4.5% Asian, 14.2% mixed |
| Population density |
71 inhabitants per km 2 |
| Language |
French and Tahitian. English is only spoken
in touristic areas |
| Religion |
50% Protestant, 33% Catholic. Rest: Mormon, Seventh Day Adventists,
Jehovah’s Witnesses etc. |
| Capital city |
Papeete (Tahiti), population 100.000 |
| Flag |
 |
| Form of Government |
French territory with inner autonomy. The
territorial assembly votes for the President. |
| Currency |
CFP = Cour de Franc Pacifique (currency
converter ) |
| Economy |
Tourism, pearls, copra, agriculture |
| Trading partners |
France, EU, USA |
Geography
The islands of French Polynesia are in the centre of the Pacific
Ocean, approximately halfway between the American west coast and
the Australian east coast, each of which are about 6,000 km away.
They are divided into five island groups: Society Islands, Tuamotus,
Marquesas, Austral Islands and Gambier Islands. The 118 islands
only have a combined land area of a metropolitan city but are spread
over an ocean area as large as Europe. These dimensions illustrate
how isolated life on the outer islands can be, even with today’s
modern means of communication and transport.
While the Tuamotus are almost entirely made up of low lying coral
atolls, the other island groups consist mostly of high, mountainous
islands. The Society Islands accommodate three-quarters of the population
and attract the bulk of tourists. They are divided into the windward
or eastern islands (Iles du Vent), to which Tahiti and Moorea belong,
and the leeward or western islands (Iles sous le Vent) such as Huahine,
Raiatea and Bora Bora.
Government
of French Polynesia
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