Geography of French Polynesia
Location: | Oceania, archipelagoes 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: | total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km |
Area - comparative: | slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut |
Land boundaries: | 0 km |
Coastline: | 2,525 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 0.75% permanent crops: 5.5% other: 93.75% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 10 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | occasional cyclonic storms in January |
Environment - current issues: | NA |
Geography - note: | includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral); 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 |