FRENCH POLYNESIA by J. Fages and C. Robineau 1. Physical environment Average temperatures vary little throughout the year. and communications They rarely rise above 300 C in the warm months of February- April and scarcely fall below 200 C in July-September. The French Polynesia comprises I 17 islands, 4,000 kniz in area, Austral islands have a fresher climate with a minimum of scattered over 4,000,000 km2 of ocean. About sixty of the 140 C. The relative humidity is high, constantly between 75 islands, totalling 3,265 km2, are inhabited; however, Tahiti and 80 per cent throughout the year. with an area of x ,042 kmz forms one-third of the inhabited area. Wind direction depends on the trade wind circulations to The islands are divided into two distinct groups by relief: the east. From October to February the prevailing winds are the high, volcanic islands, less numerous but more extensive from the north, northeast and east. Periods of calm are notice- and the low coral islands (atolls), more numerous but limited able in April-June and tropical cyclones are only exceptional ìn area. occurrences. A11 the islands lie along ridges of recent volcanic activity It is possible to divide Polynesia into €our major natural re- aligned NW to SE. The vulcanism has given rise to high gions based largely on their location and physical characteristics. islands formed of one or more high cones (Orohena 2,241m These divisions also correspond with the administrative divisions. in Tahiti) dominating a circular lagoon which is sheltered by I. The archipelago of the Society Islands falling into two a barrier reef. The volcanoes are undergoing denudation to a groups: the Windward Islands (Iles du Vent); and the greater or lesser degree, the slopes being dissected by radiating Leeward Islands (Iles sous-le-Vent). These are high islands, valleys, deeply entrenched and emerging onto a narrow with a warm, humid climate. coastal plain. The low coral islands lie on a submerged, 2. The archipelago of Tuamotu-Gambier forming a ridge volcanic platform. These are atolls with their central lagoon of low coral islands running SW to NE, the northernmost cut off from the open sea by a long and more or less wide having the drier climate. The Gambier islands are not com- and continuous coral reef never more than a few metres in posed of coral. height. 3. The archipelago of the Marquesas in the north, composed Owing to their coralline nature these atolls have no streams of high islands. Their drier climate results from their more and this raises serious problems for agriculture and for the northerly location. supply of drinking water. Rain water is stored in reservoirs 4. The archipelago of the Tubuai (Austral) Islands in the and used sparingly. The high islands do not have this problem; south, composed of high islands with a more humid, temperate their abundant water either rushes down the slopes in innu- climate. merable rivers and torrents or flows underground to issue in The dispersion of the islands and the considerable distances springs around the fringes of the island. which separate them pose many problems of communications. The Polynesian islands consist of either volcanic formations Inter-island communications are organized from Tahiti, the (andesite, basalt, breccia on the high islands) or of coralline administrative and economic capital, by a fleet of schooners formations. These formations give rise to five main types of which maintain the major service in passengers and goods. soil: the calcareous soils of the atolls; the soils of the coastal Air communication has developed with the building of small plain, calcareous along the coast, alluvial or colluvial towards airports to serve the Windward and Leeward Islands, improv- the mountains; the alluvial soils of the river valleys; the ac- ing the service especially for passengers, who formerly depended cumulated soil and the debris at the foot of the cliffs, of excel- on the slow and irregular sea routes. lent quality most suited to tree crops; poor and mediocre A network of roads has developed on the more important lateritic soils on the plateaux, which are frequently degraded islands, consisting of roads encircling the islands with access by bush fires. roads to the interior valleys or the plateaux. The climate is oceanic and thus rainfall is more important than temperature. Nevertheless, the extent of the islands stretching over 200 of latitude (between 80s and 280s) and the size and character of the relief introduce local climatic variations. Two seasons can be distinguished: warm and wet 2. Population from November to April, relatively cold and dry from May to October. Rainfall is abundant everywhere except on the The census of 1962 records the population of French Poly- Marquesas and Northern Tuamotus (I ,200-1~400n1ma year). nesia as 84,551 persons. The littorals receive about 2,ooomm of rain a year and the The population is predominantly young - the average age highlands up to 4,000". Local variations occur related to being 22.5 years. 54.1 per cent are under 20 years whilst only wind exposure; windward coasts receive the heaviest rainfall 4.1 per cent are over 60 years. There are on average 105 on average, 3,000" a year on the east coast of Tahiti in males per IOO females. Males are more numerous in every contrast with 1,Soomm or even 1,500" on the west coast. age group including the oldest. 61 3 FRENCH POLYNESIA POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, 1956 AND 1962 The economically active population in 1962 comprised 32 per cent of the total population and 56.4 per cent of the popu- lation of working age as against 26.7 per cent and 48 per cent respectively in 1956. This improvement in employment is due to the economic development of the territory, soaring I I urbanization and the growth of tourism. Windward Islands (Society Is) . 52,068 +17.6 44,247 Against this growing active population there is a decline Leeward Islands (Society Is.) . 15,427 16,177 +4.9 in active agricultural workers. This represented 43 per cent Tuamotu-Gambier ..... 8,382 7,097 -15.3 Tubuai Islands. ...... of the total working population in 1962 as against 55.4 per 4,106 4,371 i-6.4 cent in 1956 and is composed of 48.5 per cent of all working Marquesas ........ 4,838 f16.2 4,165 males and 25.5 per cent of all working females. There is a general recession in agriculture and a development of non- Total ........ agricultural industries, the service industry in particular. Source: INSEE, Census of French Polynesia, 1962. The agricultural population shows a predominance of owner-cultivators and a decline in the number of wage earners. There are four major ethnic groups in the population: AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT, 1962 Persons % % I of total Employers ......... I .o Polynesians ........... 62,747 74. I Owner-cultivators ...... 58.9 Euro-Polynesians ......... 8,492 10.0 Wage-earners ........ I o. 7 Family labour ....... 26.3 Europeans. ........... 2 9 696 3.2 11.0 Tenant farmers, leaseholders etc. .. 3. I Chinese ............ 9 3 577 1.7 The term “village” does not exist in French Polynesia. Rural settlement has different aspects in each archipelago. The Tubuai Islands, Marquesas and Tuamotu-Gambier show POPULATION BY AGE GROUPS, 1962 a rural grouping which is partially scattered or else localized at the valley mouths or around the opening in the coral reef. In the Society Islands the rural settlement is much more Age groups Persons Male Female dispersed, spread out along the coastal plain, around former settlement centres or, more often, at the entrance to a valley. This scattering is now encouraged by the development of a Under 5 years. .... 14,584 7,431 72‘53 5-14 years. ..... 22,673 11,524 11,149 water supply system which serves most of the coastal plain and 15-24 years ..... 14.747 79292 7,455 is used exclusively for domestic purposes. The distribution of population between the different admin- 15-34 years ..... 11,321 51835 5 9 486 istrative districts shows the importance of migratory move- 35-44 years ..... 8,114 4,192 3 9 922 ments in the islands. 45-54 years ..... 6,334 3 3 364 2,970 55-64 years ..... 3 3 646 2,026 I ,620 65 years and over. ... 29 I57 III97 960 DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION, 1946 TO 1962 Undeclared. ..... 975 509 466 I Society Islands 1 Total ...... 849551 433,370 41 ,181 Tuamotu- Tubuai Marquesas Windward Leeward Gambier% Islands 0,,O Source: INSEE, Census of French Polynesia, 1962. Islzds Islands % 1 % ~~ The rates of birth, death and natural increase are not known precisely; however the birth rate is estimated to be about I946 53.0 22.5 12.1 7.0 5.4 43 per thousand and the death rate in the neighbourhood 1951 56.5 20.6 11.4 6.3 5.2 58.0 20.2 11.0 5.4 5.4 of 12 per thousand. This shows an annual rate of population 1956 growth of over 3 per cent. 1962 61.6 19.2 8.3 5.2 5.7 Source: INSEE, Census of French Polynesia, 1962. DENSITY OF POPULATION, 1962 There has been a large-scale depopulation of the archipelagos Inhabited Cultivated islands area to the advantage of the Windward Islands. This rural exodus (persons (persons chiefly affects the islands nearest to the Windwards. On the per kmP) per kmP) other hand internal movements are important. The Polynesian is by nature very mobile. Windward Islands (Society Is.) .... 43 Emigration is chiefly to the island of New Caledonia. In Leeward Islands (Society Is.).