Compare French Polynesia (2005) - Christmas Island (2008)

Compare French Polynesia (2005) z Christmas Island (2008)

	French Polynesia (2005)	Christmas Island (2008)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas lands of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia	none (territory of Australia)
Age structure	0-14 years: 26.7% (male 36,947/female 35,403) 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 94,710/female 87,546) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 8,018/female 7,861) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products	coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits; poultry, beef, dairy products, coffee	NA
Airports	50 (2004 est.)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 37 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Background	The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996.	Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.
Birth rate	16.93 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	NA
Budget	revenues: $1 billion expenditures: $900 million, including capital expenditures of $185 million (1996)	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Capital	Papeete	name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical, but moderate	tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Coastline	2,525 km	138.9 km
Constitution	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Country name	conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French Polynesia conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise former: French Colony of Oceania	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island
Death rate	4.63 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	NA
Debt - external	NA	-
Dependency status	overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2004	non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas lands of France)	none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas lands of France)	none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$367 million (1997)	$NA
Economy - overview	Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services.	Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993, but closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, expected to begin operations in the near future.
Electricity - consumption	353.4 million kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - production	380 million kWh (2002)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Environment - current issues	NA	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining
Ethnic groups	Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)
Exchange rates	Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001), 129.43 (2000) note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Michel MATHIEU (since 24 October 2001); note - Michel MATHIER leaves 30 July 2005, replaced by Jacques MICHAUT (acting high commissioner), until the arrival of Anne BOQUET in early September 2005 head of government: President of the Territorial Government of French Polynesia Oscar TEMARU (since 3 March 2005); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony GEROS (since 9 May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia
Exports	NA	$NA
Exports - commodities	cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat	phosphate
Exports - partners	France 36.6%, Japan 22.7%, US 16.1%, Niger 13%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)	Australia, NZ (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 July - 30 June
Flag description	two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions	territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 4% industry: 18% services: 78% (2002)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2003 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	NA% (2001 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	15 00 S, 140 00 W	10 30 S, 105 40 E
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	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
Heliports	1 (2004 est.)	-
Highways	total: 2,590 km paved: 1,735 km unpaved: 855 km (1999)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Imports	NA	$NA
Imports - commodities	fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment	consumer goods
Imports - partners	France 47.6%, New Zealand 8.8%, Singapore 8.4%, Australia 8.3%, US 7.1% (2004)	principally Australia (2006)
Independence	none (overseas lands of France)	none (territory of Australia)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Infant mortality rate	total: 8.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	1.5% (2002 est.)	-
International organization participation	FZ, ICFTU, PIF (observer), UPU, WMO	none
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA
Judicial branch	Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Labor force	70,000 (1996)	NA
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services 68% (2002)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0.82% permanent crops: 5.46% other: 93.72% (2001)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)
Languages	French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census)	English (official), Chinese, Malay
Legal system	based on French system	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law
Legislative branch	unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May 2004 election; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 28, Union for Democracy 27, New Star 1, This Country is Yours 1; after by-elections of 13 February 2005 seating was as follows: People's Rally for the Republic 27, Union for Democracy 27, and Alliance for a New Democracy 3 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1	unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 20 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 75.9 years male: 73.5 years female: 78.42 years (2005 est.)	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	definition: age 14 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1977 est.)	NA
Location	Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
Map references	Oceania	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 17,537 GRT/15,150 DWT by type: cargo 4, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2005)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of France	defense is the responsibility of Australia
Military branches	no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and National Police Force	-
National holiday	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Nationality	noun: French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island
Natural hazards	occasional cyclonic storms in January	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Natural resources	timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower	phosphate, beaches
Net migration rate	2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	NA
Political parties and leaders	Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic of Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; The New Star (Te Fetia Api) [Philippe SHYLE]; This Country is Yours (No Oe E Te Nunaa) [Nicle BOUTEAU]; Union for Democracy or UPD [Oscar TEMARU]	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	none
Population	270,485 (July 2005 est.)	1,402 (July 2006 est.) (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	1.52% (2005 est.)	0% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Papeete	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)
Religions	Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	NA
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - 1 INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use	52,500 (2002)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	90,000 (2002)	-
Television broadcast stations	7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997)	0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006)
Terrain	mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Total fertility rate	2.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)	NA
Unemployment rate	11.8% (1994)	-

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