Countries & territories · capital city
What Is the Capital of French Polynesia?
Papeete
The capital of French Polynesia is Papeete. About 136,000 people live in the Papeete urban area — 48.1% of the country's population.
136,000
Urban area population
UTC-10
Time zone
17.53°S
Latitude · 149.57°W
Yes
Largest city
Papeete at a glance
Name origin
The name derives from the Tahitian words pape (water) and ete (basket), referring to a place where people came to get water.
Time zone
UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time). No daylight saving time.
Coordinates
17 32 S, 149 34 W · IANA time zone Pacific/Tahiti
Location of French Polynesia
Oceania, five archipelagoes (Archipel des Tuamotu, Iles Gambier, Iles Marquises, Iles Tubuai, Society Islands) in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between South America and Australia
Capitals closest to Papeete
Avarua, Cook Islands — 1,145 km
Alofi, Niue — 2,154 km
Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands — 2,182 km
Pago Pago, American Samoa — 2,288 km
Apia, Samoa — 2,411 km
Mata-Utu, Wallis and Futuna — 2,425 km
Nuku'alofa, Tonga — 2,716 km
Suva, Fiji — 3,385 km
Straight-line distance between capitals.
Frequently asked questions about Papeete
What is the capital of French Polynesia?
The capital of French Polynesia is Papeete. About 136,000 people live in the Papeete urban area — 48.1% of the country's population.
Is Papeete the largest city in French Polynesia?
Yes — Papeete is also the largest urban area of French Polynesia (136,000).
What time zone is Papeete in?
Papeete is on UTC-10 — UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.
Where does the name Papeete come from?
The name derives from the Tahitian words pape (water) and ete (basket), referring to a place where people came to get water.
Data: CIA World Factbook (public domain); population: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).