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Tahiti (French Polynesia)
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Official Name: Tahiti, Dependent Territory of French Polynesia
Capital: Papeete population 26,181 (2002 estimate)
Area: 1,048 km² (404 sq. miles)
Estimated 2002 Population: French Polynesia 245,405, Tahiti Population 169,674
(2002 estimate)
Location: 17°40′ S 149°30′ W
Time Zone
UTC -10
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).
Tahiti is located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. Tahiti is some 28 miles (45 km) long at the widest point and covers 1,048 km² (404 sq. miles), with the highest elevation being at 2,241 meters (7,352 feet) above sea level (Mount Orohena).The island consists of two roughly round portions centered on volcanic mountains, connected by a short isthmus named after the small town of Taravao, which sits there. The northwestern part is known as Tahiti Nui, or big Tahiti, and the southeastern part, much smaller, is known as Tahiti Iti ( small Tahiti) or Taiarapu. |
Aerial view of Papeete area |
Whereas Tahiti Nui is quite heavily populated (especially around Papeete) and benefits from rather good infrastructure, such as roads and highways, Tahiti Iti has remained quite isolated, its southeastern half (Te Pari) being accessible only by boat or hiking.
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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.
Tahiti Weather Now
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.
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
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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.
Learn Tahitian Phrases
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).
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 native population is Polynesian, and is estimated to have settled on the island sometime between AD 300 and 800, although some estimates place the date earlier.
The fertile island soil combined with fishing provided ample food for the population with ease. The perceived relaxed and contented nature of the local people and the characterization of the island as a paradise much impressed early European visitors, planting the seed for a romanticization by the West that endures to this day.
Although the islands were first spotted by a Spanish ship in 1606, Spain made no effort to trade with or colonize the island. Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti on June 18, 1767 and is considered the first European discoverer of the island.
Wallis was followed in April 1768 by the French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville who was completing the first French circumnavigation. Bougainville made Tahiti famous in Europe when he published the account of his travel in Voyage autour du Monde. He described the island as an earthly paradise where men and women live happily in innocence, away from the corruption of civilization. His account of the island powerfully illustrated the concept of the noble savage, and influenced the utopian thoughts of philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau before the advent of the French Revolution.
In 1774 Captain James Cook visited the island, and estimated the population at that time to be some 200,000. This was probably too high; another estimate from the same period was 121,500.
After Cook's visit, European ships landed on the island with ever greater frequency. The best-known of these ships was the HMS Bounty, whose crew mutinied shortly after leaving Tahiti in 1789. The European influence caused significant disruption to the traditional society, by bringing prostitution, venereal diseases, and alcohol to the island. Introduced diseases including typhus and smallpox killed so many Tahitians that by 1797, the island's population was only about 16,000. Later it was to drop as low as 6,000. |
The mutineers turning Lt Bligh and some of the officers and crew adrift from HMAV Bounty, 29 April 1789 |
In 1842 A European crisis involving Morocco was escalated between France and Great Britain when Admiral Dupetit-Thouars, acting independently of the French government was able to convince Queen Pomare IV to accept a French protectorate. George Pritchard, a Birmingham-born missionary and acting British Consul, had been away at the time of the agreement, however he had returned to work towards indoctrinating the locals against the Roman Catholic French. In November 1843, Dupetit-Thouars again completely on his own initiative then landed sailors on the island, formally annexing it to France. He then proceeded to throw Pritchard into prison, sending him unceremoniously back to Britain. News of the events in Tahiti had reached Europe in early 1844 and Guizot, supported by King Louis-Philippe had strongly disclaimed the annexation of the Islands. However war between the French and the Tahitians continued until 1847. The island would continue as a French protectorate until 1880.
In 1880, King Pomare V (1842–1891) was forced to cede the sovereignty of Tahiti and its dependencies to France on 29 June, whereupon he was given the titular position of Officer of the Orders of the Legion of Honour and Agricultural Merit of France.
In 1946, Tahiti and the whole of French Polynesia, become a Territoire d'outre-mer (French overseas territory), and in 2003, this status was changed to that of Pays d'outre-mer.
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; Tahiti is served by Faaa International Airport.
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