Geography of French Polynesia

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This article describes the geography of French Polynesia.

Location

Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between South America and Australia

Geographic coordinates

15°00′S 140°00′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