Geography of French Polynesia

Image:French Polynesia relief map.svg

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 (around 130 islands),Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia. {{ISBN|1-85613-582-9}}. Page 546 of which 3,827 km² is land and 340 km² is (inland) 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 (and many more islets or motus around atolls). 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 (Ocean Island) 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:

Marquesas Islands – administratively making the Marquesas Islands subdivision (12 high islands and 1 atoll)
Society Islands – administratively subdivided into the Windward Islands subdivision (5 high islands) and the Leeward Islands District (5 atolls)
Tuamotu Archipelago – administratively part of the Tuamotu-Gambier subdivision (<80 atolls, grouping over 3,100 islands or islets)
Gambier Islands – administratively part of the Tuamotu-Gambier subdivision (2 atolls in genesis)
Austral Islands – administratively part of the Austral Islands subdivision (5 atolls)
Bass Islands – administratively part of the Austral Islands subdivision (2 atolls)

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.{{cite web |url=https://tahititourisme.pf/en-pf/offers/mount-orohena-mahina-en-en-pf-3349360/ |title=Mount Orohena |publisher=Tahiti Tourisme |access-date=19 December 2022}}

Climate

The country has a tropical, but moderate climate.

{{Weather box

|location= Papeete (Köppen Am/Af)

|metric first= Yes

|single line= Yes

|collapsed= Yes

|width= auto

|Jan record high C = 36.0

|Feb record high C = 34.3

|Mar record high C = 35.3

|Apr record high C = 35.0

|May record high C = 34.5

|Jun record high C = 33.8

|Jul record high C = 33.0

|Aug record high C = 33.9

|Sep record high C = 33.9

|Oct record high C = 33.9

|Nov record high C = 34.0

|Dec record high C = 34.3

|year record high C = 36.0

|Jan high C = 31.2

|Feb high C = 31.4

|Mar high C = 31.9

|Apr high C = 31.8

|May high C = 31.1

|Jun high C = 30.3

|Jul high C = 30.0

|Aug high C = 30.0

|Sep high C = 30.3

|Oct high C = 30.5

|Nov high C = 30.6

|Dec high C = 30.4

|year high C = 30.8

|Jan mean C = 27.1

|Feb mean C = 27.2

|Mar mean C = 27.6

|Apr mean C = 27.6

|May mean C = 26.8

|Jun mean C = 25.9

|Jul mean C = 25.6

|Aug mean C = 25.5

|Sep mean C = 25.9

|Oct mean C = 26.3

|Nov mean C = 26.6

|Dec mean C = 26.6

|year mean C = 26.6

|Jan low C = 23.0

|Feb low C = 23.1

|Mar low C = 23.4

|Apr low C = 23.3

|May low C = 22.6

|Jun low C = 21.6

|Jul low C = 21.2

|Aug low C = 21.1

|Sep low C = 21.6

|Oct low C = 22.1

|Nov low C = 22.6

|Dec low C = 22.9

|year low C = 22.4

|Jan record low C = 19.2

|Feb record low C = 19.2

|Mar record low C = 20.4

|Apr record low C = 20.1

|May record low C = 19.5

|Jun record low C = 16.9

|Jul record low C = 16.0

|Aug record low C = 17.0

|Sep record low C = 17.0

|Oct record low C = 16.0

|Nov record low C = 19.0

|Dec record low C = 19.4

|year record low C = 16.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 317.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 277.7

|Mar precipitation mm = 240.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 143.1

|May precipitation mm = 149.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 80.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 62.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 56.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 64.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 120.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 155.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 396.8

|year precipitation mm = 2065.1

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 14.6

|Feb precipitation days = 13.4

|Mar precipitation days = 11.3

|Apr precipitation days = 9.2

|May precipitation days = 8.5

|Jun precipitation days = 6.0

|Jul precipitation days = 5.7

|Aug precipitation days = 5.2

|Sep precipitation days = 5.2

|Oct precipitation days = 7.8

|Nov precipitation days = 9.9

|Dec precipitation days = 15.3

|year precipitation days = 112.1

| Jan sun = 215.5

| Feb sun = 199.2

| Mar sun = 226.0

| Apr sun = 230.3

| May sun = 228.6

| Jun sun = 220.0

| Jul sun = 235.2

| Aug sun = 251.1

| Sep sun = 241.6

| Oct sun = 232.1

| Nov sun = 208.7

| Dec sun = 196.6

| year sun = 2684.9

|source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=98735002|title=Normales et records pour Papeete 2 (987)|publisher=Meteociel|access-date=3 June 2022}}

| source 2 = NOAA (sun 1961–1990){{cite web

| url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-V/FP/91938.TXT| title = Papeete Sun Normals 1961-1990 | access-date =12 November 2015 | publisher = NOAA}}

}}

{{Weather box

|location = Atuona

| width = auto

|collapsed = Yes

|single line = Yes

|metric first = Yes

|Jan mean F = 81

|Feb mean F = 81

|Mar mean F = 82

|Apr mean F = 82

|May mean F = 80

|Jun mean F = 79

|Jul mean F = 78

|Aug mean F = 78

|Sep mean F = 79

|Oct mean F = 79

|Nov mean F = 80

|Dec mean F = 81

|year mean F = 80

|Jan high F = 86

|Feb high F = 87

|Mar high F = 87

|Apr high F = 87

|May high F = 85

|Jun high F = 84

|Jul high F = 83

|Aug high F =83

|Sep high F = 84

|Oct high F = 85

|Nov high F =86

|Dec high F = 86

|year high F = 85

|Jan low F = 74

|Feb low F = 75

|Mar low F = 76

|Apr low F = 76

|May low F = 75

|Jun low F = 74

|Jul low F = 74

|Aug low F = 73

|Sep low F = 73

|Oct low F = 73

|Nov low F = 74

|Dec low F = 74

|year low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 4.5

|Feb precipitation inch =3.6

|Mar precipitation inch = 5.4

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.6

|May precipitation inch = 4.8

|Jun precipitation inch = 6.9

|Jul precipitation inch = 4.8

|Aug precipitation inch = 4

|Sep precipitation inch = 3.2

|Oct precipitation inch = 3.1

|Nov precipitation inch = 2.6

|Dec precipitation inch = 3.5

|year precipitation inch = 50.9

|source 1 = Weatherbase

{{cite web

|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=52919&refer=wikipedia |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Atuona, French Polynesia

|publisher=Weatherbase

|year=2011

}}

Retrieved on 24 November 2011.

|date=November 2011

}}

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|location = Tubuai (Köppen Af)

|single line = Yes

|metric first = Yes

|collapsed = Yes

|Jan record high C = 32.0

|Feb record high C = 32.0

|Mar record high C = 32.7

|Apr record high C = 32.3

|May record high C = 32.0

|Jun record high C = 31.0

|Jul record high C = 30.0

|Aug record high C = 30.0

|Sep record high C = 29.0

|Oct record high C = 30.0

|Nov record high C = 30.0

|Dec record high C = 32.0

|Jan record low C = 14.5

|Feb record low C = 15.5

|Mar record low C = 15.8

|Apr record low C = 14.6

|May record low C = 10.0

|Jun record low C = 10.0

|Jul record low C = 10.0

|Aug record low C = 9.2

|Sep record low C = 10.3

|Oct record low C = 10.7

|Nov record low C = 12.0

|Dec record low C = 14.3

|Jan high C = 28.0

|Feb high C = 28.6

|Mar high C = 28.6

|Apr high C = 27.4

|May high C = 25.8

|Jun high C = 24.4

|Jul high C = 23.9

|Aug high C = 23.7

|Sep high C = 23.9

|Oct high C = 24.7

|Nov high C = 25.9

|Dec high C = 26.9

|Jan mean C = 25.7

|Feb mean C = 26.2

|Mar mean C = 26.0

|Apr mean C = 24.9

|May mean C = 23.2

|Jun mean C = 21.7

|Jul mean C = 21.2

|Aug mean C = 21.0

|Sep mean C = 21.1

|Oct mean C = 22.1

|Nov mean C = 23.4

|Dec mean C = 24.5

|Jan low C = 23.3

|Feb low C = 23.7

|Mar low C = 23.4

|Apr low C = 22.3

|May low C = 20.7

|Jun low C = 19.0

|Jul low C = 18.6

|Aug low C = 18.3

|Sep low C = 18.4

|Oct low C = 19.5

|Nov low C = 20.8

|Dec low C = 22.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 194.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 192.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 176.3

|Apr precipitation mm = 165.3

|May precipitation mm = 153.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 119.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 136.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 133.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 104.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 116.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 133.9

|Dec precipitation mm = 200.4

|year precipitation mm = 1825.7

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 13.2

|Feb precipitation days = 12.9

|Mar precipitation days = 13.3

|Apr precipitation days = 12.5

|May precipitation days = 12.4

|Jun precipitation days = 11.4

|Jul precipitation days = 11.2

|Aug precipitation days = 11.3

|Sep precipitation days = 9.6

|Oct precipitation days = 9.9

|Nov precipitation days = 10.2

|Dec precipitation days = 13.2

|Jan sun = n/a

|Feb sun = n/a

|Mar sun = 204.9

|Apr sun = 175.6

|May sun = 158.6

|Jun sun = 141.6

|Jul sun = 165.5

|Aug sun = 165.0

|Sep sun = n/a

|Oct sun = n/a

|Nov sun = 199.9

|Dec sun = 177.0

|year sun = n/a

|source 1 = Météo-France{{cite web

| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_98753001.pdf

| title=climate of Tubuai 1981-2010

| language = fr

| publisher = Météo-France

| access-date = April 8, 2022}}

}}

Statistics

;Maritime claims

:* Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles

:* Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles

; Natural resources

: Timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower File:Hatiheu Bay, Nuku Hiva (French Polynesia).jpg

; Land use

:* Arable land: 0.68%

:* Permanent crops: 6.28%

:* Other: 93.03% (2012)

; Irrigated land

: 10 km² (2003)

Geography of French Polynesia

Physical geography

Climate

Statistics

See also

References