Introduction
People come to French Polynesia to live it up in stylish resorts, scuba dive in lagoons teeming with tropical fish, gorge on the unique mix of French and Polynesian cuisine and, basically, experience a little French chic mixed with South Pacific charm.
For more than 200 years, Tahiti has represented the tropical-paradise myth for Europeans. It's French Polynesia's biggest, most famous and historically interesting island.
Location
Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia
Geographic coordinates
15 00 S, 140 00 W
Climate
tropical, but moderate
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m
Natural resources
pear, timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower
Environment - current issues
NA
Environment - international agreements
NA
Geography - note
includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral); Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru