Page last updated on January 29, 2014

Location: Oceania, five archipelagoes (Archipel Des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about half way between South America and Australia

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 S, 140 00 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls)
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 175
land: 3,827 sq km
water: 340 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:
0 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
2,525 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical, but moderate

Terrain:
mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m

Natural resources:
timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 0.68%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 6.28%
other: 93.03% (2011)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Natural hazards:
occasional cyclonic storms in January

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
includes five archipelagoes (four volcanic, one 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