French Polynesia 🇵🇫

French Polynesia belongs to Polynesia, and it is a dependent territory rather than a country in the political sense. The short and official forms of the name are the same. The capital is Papeetē.

Some 281,807 people call it home, placing it 187th of 250 by population — between Barbados above it and São Tomé and Príncipe below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 1st of 10 in size and 1st in population.

Its territory runs to 4,167 km², which ranks it 177th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Trinidad and Tobago and just ahead of Cape Verde. Put next to a territory most people can picture, it is about half again the size of Luxembourg.

Where French Polynesia is and what surrounds it

The coordinates the dataset gives are 15.0° S, 140.0° W, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 1,670 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.

Bolivia, Zambia and Malawi sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.

There is no land frontier at all — every boundary it has is a coastline. That puts it among the 85 entries of 250 here with no land neighbours, which shapes how it trades and who it deals with.

Population, density and language

Population divided by land area gives roughly 68 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.

Officially it is monolingual: French. French is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 45 other entries including Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso and Burundi.

The demonym is French Polynesian, so residents are French Polynesians.

Inside Oceania it places 8th of 27 by population, and it accounts for 41% of everyone living in Polynesia.

Currency and codes

It uses the CFP franc (₣, XPF). It shares that currency with New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna.

Papeetē is the city to remember for this territory.

The top-level domain is .pf. To phone it from abroad you dial +689. In ISO terms it is pf in two letters and PYF in three.

French Polynesia is not a UN member state. Its official name points to France as the administering state. Of the 250 entries here, 57 are territories or observers rather than member states.

Fun facts about French Polynesia

• Ranked by land area, French Polynesia is 177th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
• People from French Polynesia are known as French Polynesians.
• It is a territory rather than a UN member state.
• French is official here and in 45 other entries worldwide.
• Within Polynesia it is the 1st largest of 10.
• It is 187th of 250 by population, with about 281,807 residents.
• It lies about 1,670 km from the equator, in tropical latitudes.

French Polynesia — frequently asked questions

What is the capital of French Polynesia?

The capital of French Polynesia is Papeetē.

What is the population of French Polynesia?

French Polynesia has a population of about 281,807, which makes it the 187th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Barbados sits just above it and São Tomé and Príncipe just below.

How big is French Polynesia?

French Polynesia covers 4,167 km², ranking 177th of 250 by land area. That makes it about half again the size of Luxembourg.

What currency does French Polynesia use?

French Polynesia uses the CFP franc, written ₣ (currency code XPF). It is shared with 2 other entries: New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna.

What language is spoken in French Polynesia?

The official language of French Polynesia is French. It is also official in 45 other entries on this list.

Does French Polynesia border any other country?

No. French Polynesia has no land border with any other country, so every route in or out is by sea or air. 85 of the 250 entries on this site are in the same position.

Where is French Polynesia located?

French Polynesia is in Polynesia, part of Oceania. Its reference coordinates are 15.0° south and 140.0° west, roughly 1,670 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.

Is French Polynesia a country?

Not in the political sense. French Polynesia is a dependent territory rather than a sovereign state, and it is not a UN member. The dataset points to France as the administering state. It appears on this site because it has its own flag, codes and statistics, but it does not have a seat at the United Nations.