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
Political parties and leaders: Centrist Union or UC [leader NA];
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 (Tahoeraa Huiraatira)
[Gaston FLOSSE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate), FZ,
ICFTU, SPC, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
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
French Polynesia Economy
Economy - overview: Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefited from a five-year (1994-98) development agreement with France aimed principally at creating new jobs.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.6 billion (1997 est.)