French Polynesia, overseas collectivity of France consisting of five archipelagoes in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Included are some 130 islands scattered across the Pacific between latitudes 7° and 27° S and longitudes 134° and 155° W—a total land area roughly equivalent to that of metropolitan Paris and London combined but spread across a swath of ocean five times as large as France.
The archipelagoes of French Polynesia are the Society Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, Gambier Islands, Marquesas Islands, and Tubuai Islands. The capital, Papeete, is on Tahiti, French Polynesia’s largest island (403 square miles [1,043 square km]), in the Society group.
Tourism is the country’s main economic activity. Many resources are used for local subsistence, including fruits, products from fishing and planting, and materials for the construction of traditional types of houses and canoes. Agriculture, once of primary importance, now only provides a small portion of the gross domestic product. Pigs, cattle, and chickens are raised for food. The traditional exports—including vanilla—have greatly declined, but this loss of revenue has been partially compensated for by the development of fishing, especially with the extension of territorial waters to 200 nautical miles (370 km) offshore in 1978. Shrimp and oysters are farmed. Black cultured pearls, principally from the Tuamotu and Gambier islands groups, account for some two-thirds of export earnings.
French Polynesia receives about one-fourth of its imports from France; the Netherlands, France, and Hong Kong are among its major export destinations. Other significant trading partners are South Korea, China, the United States, and New Zealand. Manufactured products include copra, coconut oil, other oils, beer, printed cloth, and sandals; traditional handicrafts and boats are made on some of the outer islands. Hydroelectric power plants on Tahiti began service in the early 1980s, and by the early 21st century some one-third of the country’s power was hydroelectricity.
Until the mid-1990s revenue was greatly increased by the presence of French military personnel supporting the nuclear testing facilities in the Tuamotus. Logistical support activities on Tahiti and Hao Atoll created additional employment until France declared a moratorium on nuclear testing in 1996. The French government pledged to provide aid for a number of years to compensate for the adjustment. At the same time, the government has attempted to diversify the economy and stimulate investment.
Beginning in the mid-20th century, transportation facilities were constructed or greatly upgraded, including the development of a modern port in Papeete, construction of an international airport at Faaa, and the establishment of air services with some of the outlying islands: Moorea, the Îles Sous le Vent, the western Tuamotus, the Marquesas, and the Tubuais. There is scheduled shipping to other regions in the Pacific, but interisland shipping remains largely dependent on local unscheduled schooner sailings. French Polynesia has a relatively modest road network, but the great majority of roads are paved or stone-surfaced.
Many elements of traditional Polynesian culture and arts, such as dancing (tamure), music, tattooing, and religion, disappeared in large part under the influence of missionaries, who began arriving in the late 18th century and suppressed the traditional culture. It has also been misrepresented and, to an extent, reduced to a sort of folklore by the romantic image that Europeans adopted. The beauty of the islands drew artists such as the French painter Paul Gauguin, who lived first on Tahiti and later on Hiva Oa. Inspired by the local culture, Gauguin employed Polynesian images and spiritual themes in the work he created there. A number of his paintings—as well as the work of other artists—are displayed in the Paul Gauguin Museum on Tahiti.
With the country’s growing independence has come greater attention to Polynesian culture, including the increased use of the Tahitian language and its elevation to the status of an official language in the late 20th century. An ethnographic museum and learned society in Papeete have contributed to efforts to preserve French Polynesia’s cultural heritage. Still, the absence of newspapers in Polynesian languages, the small amount of broadcasting in the Tahitian language, and the pervasive influence of European and North American cultural exports (notably music and television) all threaten what survives of Polynesian culture.
Finally, I will leave a link which includes all companies and enterprises in French Polynesia, for those who want to research and discover more about this territory. Thanks for reading.
All businesses address in French Polynesia: https://findsun.net/PF
