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Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia)
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Official Name: Marquesas Islands, Dependent Territory of French Polynesia
National Anthem: 
Capital: Papeete (Tahiti Island), population 26,181. Marquesas capital Tai o Hae (Nuku Hiva Island)
Area: 3,941 Sq Km (1,521 Sq Mi), Marquesas area 1,274 km² ( 492 sq. mi.)
Estimated 2002 Population: 245,405, Marquesas population 8,712
(2002 estimate)
Location: 17° 5′ 24″ N 61° 48′ 60″ W
Time Zone
UTC -9.5
Time Now
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French Polynesia consists of five scattered archipelagos.
1) The Society Islands which include Tahiti and Bora-Bora
2) the Tuamotu Archipelago
3) the Gambier Archipelago
4) the Marquesas Islands
5) the Austral Islands.
Most of the islands are of volcanic origin, mountainous and ringed by coral reefs while the Tuamotu and Gambier island groups are low lying coral atolls. Major Cities; Papeete 104,000 (1988). Land Use; forested 31%, pastures 6%, agricultural-cultivated 21%, other 42% (1988). MORE
Marquesas islands
The Marquesas Islands are the furthest island group in the world from any continent, lying between 400 and 600 miles (600 and 1,000 km) south of the equator and approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) northeast of Tahiti.
They fall naturally into two geographical divisions:
| 1) Northern Group |
2) Southern group |
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With a combined land area of 1,274 km² (492 sq. miles), the Marquesas are among the largest island groups of French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva being the second largest island in the entire territory, after Tahiti.
French Polynesia has a tropical climate which is hot and humid from November to April but cooler and drier for the remainder of the year. Temperatures are moderated by the prevailing SE trade winds. The average annual temperature is around 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) all year.
The ecosystem of the Marquesas has been devastated in some areas by the activities of feral livestock. As a first step in preserving what remains, the Marquesan Nature Reserves were created in 1992.
Marquesas Weather Now
Marquesas Zoology MORE
Marquesas Botany MORE
The majority of the population are of Polynesian descent and account for around 70% of the population. Almost 19% of the population are mixed, of which Polynesian-Europeans account for 16.8%, Polynesian-Chinese for 1.3% and European-Chinese for .5% while Europeans, mostly French, account for 10% and Chinese account for 4% of the population.
Marequesan Culture MORE
French Polynesia: Density; 58 persons per sq km (149 persons per sq ml) (1991). Urban-Rural; 55.0% urban, 45.0% rural (1988). Sex Distribution; 52.3% male, 47.7% female (1988). Life Expectancy at Birth; 66.1 years male, 71.3 years female (1988). Age Breakdown; 35% under 15, 44% 15 to 39, 18% 40 to 64, 3% 65 and over (1988). Birth Rate; 27.4 per 1,000 (1990). Death Rate; 4.6 per 1,000 (1990). Increase Rate; 22.8 per 1,000 (1990). Infant Mortality Rate; 10.4 per 1,000 live births (1990). MORE
The population of the Marquesas Islands at the 2002 census was 8,712 inhabitants, which is on the rise, but still far lower than 16th century estimates which put the population at over 100,000. Much of the population was wiped out by Small pox between 1600 and 1900, when the population was counted at just under 2,000
The center of government for the Marquesas Islands is Tai o Ha`e on Nuku Hiva, although the former capital, Atuona, on Hiva `Oa, still serves as the administrative center for the southern islands.
Administratively, the Marquesas Islands form the administrative subdivion of the Marquesas Islands (la subdivision administrative des (Îles) Marquises), one of French Polynesia's five administrative subdivisions (subdivision administratives). Geographically, the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas Islands (la subdivision administrative des (Îles) Marquises) is identical with the electoral circumscription of the Marquesas Islands (circonscription des Îles Marquises), one of French Polynesia's 6 electoral districts/circumscriptions (circonsriptions électorales) for the Assembly of French Polynesia.
French Polynesia MORE
Mostly Christians with Protestants accounting for 47% of the population while 40% are Roman Catholics.
The official language is French, although Tahitian is spoken by the majority of Polynesians.
Marquesas Islands Language MORE
French Polynesia: Aged 10 or over and having attained: no formal schooling 5.1%, primary 46.1%, secondary 45.0%, higher 3.8% (1988). Literacy; literate population aged 15 or over 98,314 or 95.0% (1983).
Education is also provided by France. French Polynesia has a University, the Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF, "University of French Polynesia"), located in Faa'a, Tahiti. It is a small university counting around 2,000 students. Luise Peltzer, former minister of culture of French Polynesia has been elected president of the University for 5 years. There are about 60 researchers at the university, including physicists Pascal Ortega (lightning studies) and Alessio Guarino (nonlinear physics). In the Human Sciences department, sociologist Laura Schuft deserves to be mentioned for her study on the integration of mainland French workers in Tahiti.
In 1957 French Polynesia became an overseas territory of France. Internal self-government particularly in economic matters was increased in 1977 and again in 1984. In Mar. 1986 Gaston Flosse was reelected President of the Council of Ministers. In Feb. 1987 Flosse resigned after allegations of corruption and Jacques Teuira replaced him. In Oct. 1987 the breakup of a dock strike led to serious rioting in Papeete which resulted in the army restoring order. In Dec. 1987 Teuira resigned with discontent growing among the people regarding his policies and Alexandre Leontieff replaced Teuira as President.
The first recorded settlers of the Marquesas were Polynesians, who, from archaæological evidence, are believed to have arrived before 100 CE. Ethnological and linguistic evidence suggests that they likely arrived from the region of Samoa.
The islands were given their name by Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira who reached them in 1595, visiting first Fatu Hiva and then Tahuata before continuing on to the Solomon Islands.
The American navigator Capt. Joseph Ingraham first visited the northern Marquesas in 1791, giving them the name Washington Islands. In 1813, Commodore David Porter claimed Nuku Hiva for the United States, but the United States Congress never ratified that claim, and in 1842, France, following a successful military operation on behalf of a native chief (named Iotete) who claimed to be king of the whole of the island of Tahuata, took possession of the whole group, establishing a settlement (abandoned in 1859) on Nuku Hiva. French control over the group was reestablished in 1870, and later incorporated into the territory of French Polnesia.
The Marquesas Islands suffered the greatest population decline as a result of diseases brought by European and American explorers, reducing the estimated sixteenth century population of over 100,000 inhabitants, to about 20,000 by the middle of the nineteenth century, and to just over 2,000 by the beginning of the 1900s. During the course of the twentieth century, the population increased to about 8,500 by 2002, not including the Marquesan community residing on Tahiti.
The official currency is the CFP Franc (Comptoire Francaise du Pacifique-CFPF) divided into 100 Centimes.
French Polynesia has a moderately developed economy, which is dependent on imported goods, tourism, and the financial assistance of mainland France. Tourist facilities are well developed and are available on the major islands.Also, as the noni fruit from these islands is discovered for its medicinal uses, people have been able to find jobs related to this agricultural industry. MORE
French Polynesia: Railroads; nil. Roads; length 792 km (492 mi) (1990). Vehicles; cars 37,000 (1989), trucks and buses 15,000 (1989). Merchant Marine; vessels 38 (1990), deadweight tonnage N/A. Air Transport; there are four airports in the Marquesas, one each on the islands of Nuku Hiva, Ua Pu, Ua Huka, and Hiva Oa.
French Polynesia MORE
The Marquesas are served by telephone as well as by radio and television mainly from Tahiti.
As an overseas territory of France, defence and law-enforcement are provided by the French Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) and Gendarmerie.
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Finding French Polynesia
The Marquesas Online
Effects of the 1946 Aleutian Tsunami on the Marquesas Is.
Flora of the Marquesas Islands
History of the Marquesas Islands
Satellite Images of the Marquesas Islands
Administrative divisions of the Marquesas Islands
Pacific Islands Travel's Marquesas Page
Marquesas Islands Homepage
