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 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
2,525 km
Maritime claims:
Climate:
tropical, but moderate
Terrain:
mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
Elevation extremes:
Natural resources:
timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
Land use:
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
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
total:
4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls)
land:
3,660 sq km
water:
507 sq km
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mont Orohena 2,241 m
arable land:
1%
permanent crops:
6%
permanent pastures:
5%
forests and woodland:
31%
other:
57% (1993 est.)