Legislative branch:
unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (49 seats
- changed from 41 seats for May 2001 election; members are elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 6 May 2001 (next to be held NA May 2006)
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on NA September 1998
(next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the
French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA
2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 28, Independent Front for
the Liberation of Polynesia 13, New Fatherland Party 7, other 1
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or
Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or
Tribunal Administratif
Political parties and leaders:
Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini
Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile
VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic of Polynesia or RPR
(Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; The New Star (Te Fetia Api)
[leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of France)
Flag description:
two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered
on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the
lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a
stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the
French flag is used for official occasions
Economy French Polynesia
Economy - overview:
Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region,
French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy
to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either
employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the
halt of French nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to
the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of
GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources
of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The
small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural
products. The territory benefits substantially from development
agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses
and strengthening social services.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 18% services: 76% (1997)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5%
Labor force:
70,000 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services 68% (1997)
Unemployment rate:
11.8% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $900 million, including capital expenditures of $185
million (1996)
Industries:
tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
428.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 60.7%
hydro: 39.3%
other: 0%; note - sun, wind, biomass (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
398.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
4,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits; poultry, beef, dairy products, coffee
Exports: $260 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities: cultured pearls 50%, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat (1997)
Exports - partners:
France 37.4%, Japan 35.5%, US 17.5% (2002)
Imports:
$1.2 billion f.o.b. (2000)
Imports - commodities:
fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners:
France 58.9%, Australia 12.2%, New Zealand 6.9%, US 6.6% (2002)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$367 million (1997)
Currency:
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF); note - may adopt the
euro in 2003
Currency code: