French Polynesia: Flag and Facts
French Polynesia's flag has red bands at the top and bottom with a wide white band between them, centered on a disk showing a red canoe sailing under a gold sun.
- Capital
- Papeetē
- Region
- Polynesia
- Population
- 305,507 (2025)
- Languages
- French
- Currency
- CFP franc
- Area
- 4,167 km² (1,609 sq mi)
- People
- French Polynesian
- Calling code
- +689
- Highest point
- Mont Orohena 2,241 m
- Independence
- none (overseas land of France)
- National symbols
- outrigger canoe, Tahitian gardenia flower (Gardenia taitensis)
- Borders
- No land borders
- Status
- Territory (not a sovereign country)
About French Polynesia
The bands run in a 1:2:1 ratio. On the disk, blue and white waves fill the lower half for the sea, and gold rays fill the top for the sun. Five stars ride in the canoe as its crew, one for each island group. The red and white are long-standing Polynesian colors.
The five archipelagos are the Austral, Gambier, Marquesas and Society Islands plus the Tuamotu chain. People first lived in the Marquesas around 200 B.C.; settlement of the Society Islands came near A.D. 300. Raiatea grew into a hub of religion and culture, and voyagers set out from it to settle the rest. By 1000, every group had small permanent villages. Magellan saw some of the islands in 1520, and Samuel Wallis became the first European to visit Tahiti in 1767. The territory remains an overseas land of France.
Did you know?
- Mont Orohena, the highest peak, reaches 2,241 meters.
- The outrigger canoe and the Tahitian gardenia are national symbols.
- French Polynesia uses the CFP franc, written with the ₣ symbol.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about French Polynesia
What is the capital of French Polynesia?
Papeetē, with about 136,000 people in the area.
How many people live in French Polynesia?
About 305,507, according to a 2025 figure.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.