Overview
French Polynesia consists of five archipelagos -- the Austral Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Society Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The Marquesas were first settled around 200 B.C. and the Society Islands around A.D. 300. Raiatea in the Society Islands became a center for religion and culture. Exploration of the other islands emanated from Raiatea, and by 1000, there were small permanent settlements in all the island groups. Ferdinand MAGELLAN was the first European to see the islands of French Polynesia in 1520. In 1767, British explorer Samuel WALLIS was the first European to visit Tahiti, followed by French navigator Louis Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE in 1768 and British explorer James COOK in 1769. King POMARE I united Tahiti and surrounding islands into the Kingdom of Tahiti in 1788. Protestant missionaries arrived in 1797, and POMARE I’s successor converted in the 1810s, along with most Tahitians. In the 1830s, Queen POMARE IV refused to allow French Catholic missionaries to operate, leading France to declare a protectorate over Tahiti and fight the French-Tahitian War of the 1840s in an attempt to annex the islands. In 1880, King POMARE V ceded Tahiti and its possessions to France, changing its status into a colony. France then claimed the Gambier Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago and by 1901 had incorporated all five island groups into its establishments in Oceania. A Tahitian nationalist movement formed in 1940, leading France to grant French citizenship to the islanders in 1946 and change it to an overseas territory. In 1957, the islands’ name was changed to French Polynesia, and the following year, 64% of voters chose to stay part of France when they approved a new constitution. Uninhabited Mururoa Atoll was established as a French nuclear test site in 1962, and tests were conducted between 1966 and 1992 (underground beginning in 1975). France also conducted tests at Fangataufa Atoll, including its last nuclear test in 1996.France granted French Polynesia partial internal autonomy in 1977 and expanded autonomy in 1984. French Polynesia was converted into an overseas collectivity in 2003 and renamed an overseas territory in 2004. Pro-independence politicians won a surprise majority in local elections that same year, but in subsequent elections, they have been relegated to a vocal minority. In 2013, French Polynesia was relisted on the UN List of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Geography
- Location
- Oceania, five archipelagoes (Archipel des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between South America and Australia
- Total Area
- 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls; 67 are inhabited)
- Climate
- tropical, but moderate
- Terrain
- mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
- Natural Resources
- timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
- Coastline
- 2,525 km
- Land Borders
- 0 km
People & Society
- Population
- 305,507 (2025 est.)
- Religions
- Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%
- Ethnic Groups
- Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
- Life Expectancy
- 78.9 years (2024 est.)
- Urbanization
- 62.3% of total population (2023)
Government
- Government Type
- parliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France
- Capital
- Papeete (located on Tahiti)
- Independence
- none (overseas land of France)
- Constitution
- 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
- Legal System
- the laws of France apply
- Executive Branch
- President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Alexander ROCHATTE (since 1 September 2025)
Economy
- Economic Overview
- small, territorial-island tourism-based economy; large French financing; lower EU import duties; Pacific Islands Forum member; fairly resilient from COVID-19; oil-dependent infrastructure
- GDP (Official Rate)
- $6.563 billion (2024 est.)
- Major Industries
- tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates