Geography of French Polynesia



French Polynesia is located in Oceania. It is a group of six archipelagos in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between South America and Australia. Its area is about 4,167 km², of which 3,827 km² is land and 340 km² is water. It has a coastline of 2,525 km but no land borders with other countries.

Physical geography

There are 118 islands in French Polynesia. Four of the islands are volcanic and one island is coral. Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean – the others are Banaba in Kiribati and Nauru. The terrain consists of a mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs.
It is made up of six archipelagos. The largest and most populated island is Tahiti, in the Society Islands.
The archipelagos are:
Aside from Tahiti, some other important atolls, islands, and island groups in French Polynesia are: Ahē, Bora Bora, Hiva 'Oa, Huahine, Mai'ao, Maupiti, Meheti'a, Mo'orea, Nuku Hiva, Raiatea, Taha'a, Tetiaroa, Tupua'i, and Tūpai. The country's highest point is Mont Orohena on Tahiti at 2,241 meters high.

Climate

The country has a tropical, but moderate climate. Occasional cyclonic storms occur in January.

Statistics

;Maritime claims
; Natural resources
; Land use
; Irrigated land