French Polynesia

French Polynesia (French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni)
is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made
up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being
Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island
and the seat of the capital of the territory (Papeete). Although not an
integral part of its territory, Clipperton Island was administered from
French Polynesia until 2007.

History

The island groups that make up French Polynesia were not officially united
until the establishment of the French protectorate in 1889. The first of
these islands to be settled by indigenous Polynesians were the Marquesas
Islands in AD 300 and the Society Islands in AD 800. The Polynesians were
organized in loose chieftainships.

European communication began in 1521 when the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan sighted Pukapuka in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Dutchman Jakob
Roggeveen came across Bora Bora in the Society Islands in 1722, and the
British explorer Samuel Wallis visited Tahiti in 1767. The French explorer
Louis Antoine de Bougainville visited Tahiti in 1768, while the British
explorer James Cook visited in 1769. Christian missions began with Spanish
priests who stayed in Tahiti for a year from 1774; Protestants from the
London Missionary Society settled permanently in Polynesia in 1797.

King Pomare II of Tahiti was forced to flee to Moorea in 1803; he and his
subjects were converted to Protestantism in 1812. French Catholic
missionaries arrived on Tahiti in 1834; their expulsion in 1836 caused
France to send a gunboat in 1838. In 1842, Tahiti and Tahuata were declared
a French protectorate, to allow Catholic missionaries to work undisturbed.
The capital of Papeete was founded in 1843. In 1880, France annexed Tahiti,
changing the status from that of a protectorate to that of a colony.

In the 1880s, France claimed the Tuamotu Archipelago, which formerly
belonged to the Pomare dynasty, without formally annexing it. Having
declared a protectorate over Tahuatu in 1842, the French regarded the entire
Marquesas Islands as French. In 1885, France appointed a governor and
established a general council, thus giving it the proper administration for
a colony. The islands of Rimatara and Rurutu unsuccessfully lobbied for
British protection in 1888, so in 1889 they were annexed by France. Postage
stamps were first issued in the colony in 1892. The first official name for
the colony was Établissements de l'Océanie (Settlements in Oceania); in 1903
the general council was changed to an advisory council and the colony's name
was changed to Établissements Français de l'Océanie (French Settlements in
Oceania).

In 1940 the administration of French Polynesia recognised the Free French
Forces and many Polynesians served in World War II. Unknown at the time to
French and Polynesians, the Konoe Cabinet in Imperial Japan on September 16,
1940 included French Polynesia among the many territories which were to
become Japanese possessions in the post-war world – though in the course of
the war in the Pacific the Japanese were not able to launch an actual
invasion of the French islands.

In 1946, Polynesians were granted French citizenship and the islands' status
was changed to an overseas territory; the islands' name was changed in 1957
to Polynésie Française (French Polynesia). In 1962, France's early nuclear
testing ground of Algeria became independent and the Mururoa Atoll in the
Tuamotu Archipelago was selected as the new testing site; tests were
conducted underground after 1974. In 1977, French Polynesia was granted
partial internal autonomy; in 1984, the autonomy was extended. French
Polynesia became a full overseas collectivity of France in 2004.

In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear
testing at Fangataufa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The last test was
on January 27, 1996. On January 29, 1996, France announced it would accede
to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and no longer tests nuclear weapons.

Politics of French Polynesia

Politics of French Polynesia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary
representative democratic French overseas collectivity, whereby the
President of French Polynesia is the head of government, and of a
multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.
Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Assembly of
French Polynesia (the territorial assembly).

Political life in French Polynesia has been marked by great instability
since the mid-2000s. On September 14, 2007, the pro-independence leader
Oscar Temaru, 63, was elected president of French Polynesia for the 3rd time
in 3 years (with 27 of 44 votes cast in the territorial assembly). He
replaced former President Gaston Tong Sang, opposed to independence, who
lost a no-confidence vote in the Assembly of French Polynesia on 31 August
after the longtime former president of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse,
hitherto opposed to independence, sided with his long enemy Oscar Temaru to
topple the government of Gaston Tong Sang. Oscar Temaru, however, had no
stable majority in the Assembly of French Polynesia, and new territorial
elections were held in February 2008 to solve the political crisis.

The party of Gaston Tong Sang won the territorial elections, but that did
not solve the political crisis: the two minority parties of Oscar Temaru and
Gaston Flosse, who together have one more member in the territorial assembly
than the political party of Gaston Tong Sang, allied to prevent Gaston Tong
Sang from becoming president of French Polynesia. Gaston Flosse was then
elected president of French Polynesia by the territorial assembly on
February 23, 2008 with the support of the pro-independence party led by
Oscar Temaru, while Oscar Temaru was elected speaker of the territorial
assembly with the support of the anti-independence party led by Gaston
Flosse. Both formed a coalition cabinet. Many observers doubted that the
alliance between the anti-independence Gaston Flosse and the
pro-independence Oscar Temaru, designed to prevent Gaston Tong Sang from
becoming president of French Polynesia, could last very long.

At the French municipal elections held in March 2008, several prominent
mayors who are member of the Flosse-Temaru coalition lost their offices in
key municipalities of French Polynesia, which was interpreted as a
disapproval of the way Gaston Tong Sang, whose party French Polynesian
voters had placed first in the territorial elections the month before, had
been prevented from becoming president of French Polynesia by the last
minute alliance between Flosse and Temaru's parties. Eventually, on April 15
2008 the government of Gaston Flosse was toppled by a constructive vote of
no confidence in the territorial assembly when two members of the
Flosse-Temaru coalition left the coalition and sided with Tong Sang's party.
Gaston Tong Sang was elected president of French Polynesia as a result of
this constructive vote of no confidence, but his majority in the territorial
assembly is very narrow. He offered posts in his cabinet to Flosse and
Temaru's parties which they both refused. Gaston Tong Sang has called all
parties to help end the instability in local politics, a prerequisite to
attract foreign investors needed to develop the local economy.
High Commission of the Republic

Despite a local assembly and government, French Polynesia is not in a free
association with France, like the Cook Islands with New Zealand or the
Federated States of Micronesia with the United States. As a French overseas
collectivity, the local government has no competence in justice, education,
security and defense, directly provided and administered by the French State
the Gendarmerie and the French Military. The highest representative of the
State in the territory is the High Commissioner of the Republic in French
Polynesia (French: Haut commissaire de la République).

French Polynesia also sends two deputies to the French National Assembly,
one representing the Leeward Islands administrative subdivision, the Austral
Islands administrative subdivision, the commune (municipality) of
Moorea-Maiao, and the westernmost part of Tahiti (including the capital
Papeete), and the other representing the central and eastern part of Tahiti,
the Tuamotu-Gambier administrative division, and the Marquesas Islands
administrative division. French Polynesia also sends one senator to the
French Senate.

French Polynesians vote in the French presidential elections and at the 2007
French presidential election, in which the pro-independence leader Oscar
Temaru openly called to vote for the Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal
while the parties opposed to independence generally supported the
center-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, the turnout in French Polynesia was
69.12% in the first round of the election and 74.67% in the second round.
French Polynesians voters placed Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of Ségolène Royal in
both rounds of the election (2nd round: Nicolas Sarkozy 51.9%; Ségolène
Royal 48.1%).

Administration

Between 1946 and 2003, French Polynesia had the status of an overseas
territory (French: territoire d'outre-mer, or TOM). In 2003 it became an
overseas collectivity (French: collectivité d'outre-mer, or COM). Its
statutory law of 27 February 2004 gives it the particular designation of
overseas country inside the Republic (French: pays d'outre-mer au sein de la
République, or POM), but without legal modification of its status.

Administrative divisions

French Polynesia has five administrative subdivisions (French: subdivisions
administratives):

* Windward Islands (French: (les) Îles du Vent or officially la
subdivision administrative des Îles du Vent) (the two subdivisions
administratives Windward Islands and Leeward Islands are part of the Society
Islands)
* Leeward Islands (French: (les) Îles Sous-le-Vent or officially la
subdivision administrative des Îles Sous-le-Vent) (the two subdivisions
administratives Windward Islands and Leeward Islands are part of the Society
Islands)
* Marquesas Islands (French: (les) (Îles) Marquises or officially la
subdivision administrative des (Îles) Marquises)
* Austral Islands (French: (les) (Îles) Australes or officially la
subdivision administrative des (Îles) Australes) (including the Bass
Islands)
* Tuamotu-Gambier (French: (les) (Îles) Tuamotu-Gambier or officially la
subdivision administrative des (Îles) Tuamotu-Gambier) (the Tuamotus and the
Gambier Islands)

Geography of French Polynesia

The islands of French Polynesia have a total land area of 4,167 square
kilometres (1,622 sq. mi) scattered over 2,500,000 square kilometres (965
255 sq. mi) of ocean. There are around 130 islands in French Polynesia.

It is made up of six groups of islands, the largest and most populated of
which is Tahiti.

The island groups are:

* Austral Islands
* Bass Islands often considered part of the Austral Islands
* Gambier Islands often considered part of the Tuamotu Archipelago
* Marquesas Islands
* Society Islands (including Tahiti)
* Tuamotu Archipelago

Aside from Tahiti, some other important atolls, islands, and island groups
in French Polynesia are: Ahe, Bora Bora, Hiva `Oa, Huahine, Maiao, Maupiti,
Mehetia, Moorea, Nuku Hiva, Raiatea, Tahaa, Tetiaroa, Tubuai, and Tupai.

Economy of French Polynesia

The GDP of French Polynesia in 2006 was 5.65 billion US dollars at market
exchange rates, the fifth-largest economy in Oceania after Australia, New
Zealand, Hawaii, and New Caledonia. The GDP per capita was 21,999 US dollars
in 2006 (at market exchange rates, not at PPP), lower than in Hawaii,
Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, but higher than in all the
independent insular states of Oceania.

French Polynesia has a moderately developed economy, which is dependent on
imported goods, tourism, and the financial assistance of mainland France.
Tourist facilities are well developed and are available on the major islands
Also, as the noni fruit from these islands is discovered for its medicinal
uses, people have been able to find jobs related to this agricultural
industry.

The legal tender of French Polynesia is the CFP Franc.

Agriculture: coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits.

Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt.

In 2008 French Polynesia's imports amounted to 2.2 billion US dollars and
exports amounted to 0.2 billion US dollars. The major export of French
Polynesia is their famous black Tahitian pearls which accounted for 55% of
exports (in value) in 2008.

Languages

French is the official language of French Polynesia. An organic law of April
12, 1996 states that "French is the official language, Tahitian and other
Polynesian languages can be used." At the 2007 census, among the population
whose age was 15 and older, 68.5% of people reported that the language they
speak the most at home is French, 29.9% reported that the language they
speak the most at home is any of the Polynesian languages (four-fifth of
which Tahitian), 1.0% reported a Chinese language (half of which Hakka), and
0.6% another language. At the same census, 94.7% of people whose age was 15
or older reported that they could speak, read and write French, whereas only
2.0% reported that they had no knowledge of French. 74.6% of people whose
age was 15 or older reported that they could speak, read and write one of
the Polynesian languages, whereas 13.6% reported that they had no knowledge
of any of the Polynesian languages.

Religion

Christianity is the main religion of the islands, a majority (54%) belonging
to various Protestant churches and a large minority (30%) being Roman
Catholic.

Miscellaneous

French Polynesia has one of the lowest crime rates within France and its
territories. However, petty crime, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching
occurs.

Medical treatment is generally good on the major islands, but is limited in
areas that are more remote or less/sparsely populated. Patients with
emergencies or with serious illnesses are often referred to facilities on
Tahiti for treatment. In Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, two major hospitals
as well as several private clinics provide 24-hour medical service. Serious
medical problems requiring hospitalization or medical evacuation can cost
thousands of dollars. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash
payment for health services.

As an overseas territory of France, defence and law-enforcement are provided
by the French Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) and Gendarmerie.

Charles Darwin visited French Polynesia on his five year trip around the
world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Polynesia