Tahiti
Tahiti is famous for black beaches.
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Archipelago	Society Islands
Area	1,045 km²
Highest point	Mont Orohena 2,241 m
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Largest city	Papeete (131,695 urban)
Demographics
Population	178,133[1] (as of Aug. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Society Islands ( French: Îles de la Société or officially Archipel de la Société) are a group of Islands in the south Pacific Mont Orohena is a Mountain of 2241 m in central Tahiti in French Polynesia in the south Pacific. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The French overseas collectivities ( collectivités d'outre-mer or COM) like the French regions, themselves are first-order Administrative divisions French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the Papeete ("water from a basket" see footnote for variant spelling (papeʔete is the Capital of French Polynesia, an overseas territory 2007 census)
Density	170/km²

Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Windward Islands (Îles du Vent are the eastern group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an Overseas collectivity of France in French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian The Society Islands ( French: Îles de la Société or officially Archipel de la Société) are a group of Islands in the south Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The island had a population of 178,133 inhabitants according to the August 2007 census. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[1] This makes it the most populated island of French Polynesia, with 68. French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the 6% of the total population. The capital is Papeete, on the northwest coast. Papeete ("water from a basket" see footnote for variant spelling (papeʔete is the Capital of French Polynesia, an overseas territory Tahiti has also been historically known as O'tahiti.

Geography

Tahiti is some 45 km (28 mi) wide at the widest point and covers 1,045 km² (403. 5 sq mi), with the highest elevation being at 2,241 m (7,352 ft) above sea level (Mount Orohena). Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface Mont Orohena is a Mountain of 2241 m in central Tahiti in French Polynesia in the south Pacific. Mont Roonui, located on the southeastern part is 1332 m high. 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. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas The northwestern part is known as Tahiti Nui ("big Tahiti"), and the southeastern part, much smaller, is known as Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti") or Taiarapu. 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. Papeete ("water from a basket" see footnote for variant spelling (papeʔete is the Capital of French Polynesia, an overseas territory A main road winds around the island between the mountains and the sea while an interior road climbs past dairy farms and citrus groves with panoramic views. Tahiti also has many swift streams, including the Papenoo in the north.

The vegetation is tremendously lush rain forest. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches

November through April is the wet season, and the wettest month is January, with 13. 2 inches (335 mm) of precipitation in the capital of Papeete. August is the driest month with only 1. 9 inches (48 mm) of rain. The average low temperature is 70 °F (21 °C) and the average high temperature is 88 °F (31 °C) with very little seasonal variation. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Papeete was 61 °F (16 °C) and the highest temperature recorded was 93 °F (34 °C). ^[2]

History

View of Raiatea Mountain. The mummies of Tahitian rulers were formerly deposited on this mountain, traditionally considered holy. A mummy is a Corpse whose Skin and Flesh have been preserved by either intentional or Incidental exposure to Chemicals extreme

Tahiti is estimated to have been settled by Polynesians between AD 300 and 800 coming from Tonga and Samoa, although some estimates place the date earlier. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over The Kingdom of Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands 36 of them inhabited stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean The fertile island soil combined with fishing provided ample food for the population. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish.

Although the first European sighting of the islands was by a Spanish ship in 1606, Spain made no effort to trade with or colonize the island. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti on June 18, 1767, and is considered the first European visitor to the island. Samuel Wallis ( 23 April 1728 &ndash London 21 January 1795) was a Cornish Navigator who circumnavigated the England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The perceived relaxation 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. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings

Wallis was followed in April 1768 by the French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville who was completing the first French circumnavigation. Louis-Antoine comte de Bougainville ( November 12 1729 Paris - August 31 1811 Paris) was a French navigator and military 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 the eighteenth-century cult of " Primitivism " the noble savage, uncorrupted by the influences of civilization was considered more worthy more authentically noble Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an

In April 1769 Captain James Cook visited the island per secret orders from the Lords of the Admiralty in order to view the transit of Venus on June 2nd. Captain James Cook FRS RN ( – 14 February 1779) was an English Explorer, Navigator and He set up camp at Matavai Bay and stayed on until August 9th. The population at that time was estimated to be 50,000 including all the nearby islands in the chain. After Cook's 1st visit, European ships landed on the island with ever greater frequency. The best-known of these ships was HMS Bounty, whose crew mutinied shortly after leaving Tahiti in 1789. For the book about the mutiny by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall see Mutiny on the Bounty (novel. The European influence caused significant disruption to the traditional society, by bringing prostitution, venereal diseases, and alcohol to the island. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. A sexually transmitted disease ( STD) or venereal disease ( VD) is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between Humans Introduced diseases including typhus, influenza and smallpox killed so many Tahitians that by 1797, the island's population was only about 16,000. Typhus is any of several similar diseases caused by Louse -borne bacteria Smallpox is an Infectious disease unique to humans caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor. Later it was to drop as low as 6,000. ^[3]

Dupetit Thouars taking over Tahiti on September 9th, 1842. Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars ( 3 August, 1793 - 16 March 1864) was a French naval officer important in France's anexation of

In 1842, a European crisis involving Morocco escalated between France and Great Britain when Admiral Dupetit Thouars, acting independently of the French government, was able to convince Tahiti's Queen Pomare IV to accept a French protectorate. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars ( 3 August, 1793 - 16 March 1864) was a French naval officer important in France's anexation of Pōmare IV Queen of Tahiti ( 28 February 1813 - 17 September 1877) more properly Aimata Pōmare IV Vahine-o-Punuateraitua (otherwise In International law, a protectorate is a autonomous territory that is "protected" by a stronger state or entity hense the protector which engages to protect George Pritchard, a Birmingham-born missionary and acting British Consul, had been away at the time of the agreement. However he returned to work towards indoctrinating the locals against the Roman Catholic French. In November 1843, Dupetit-Thouars (again completely on his own initiative) landed sailors on the island, formally annexing it to France. He then proceeded to throw Pritchard into prison, subsequently sending him unceremoniously back to Britain.

News of the events in Tahiti reached Europe in early 1844. The French statesman François Guizot, supported by King Louis-Philippe of France, had strongly denounced the annexation of the island. François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (4 October 1787 -12 September 1874 was a French Historian, Orator, and Statesman. Louis Philippe ( 6 October 1773 &ndash 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the However, war between the French and the Tahitians continued until 1847. The island remained a French protectorate until June 29, 1880, when King Pomare V (1842–1891) was forced to cede the sovereignty of Tahiti and its dependencies to France. Pōmare V King of Tahiti ( 3 November, 1839 - 12 June, 1891) was the last king of Tahiti, reigning from 1877 until his 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 became a Territoire d'outre-mer (French overseas territory). In 2003, this status was changed to that of Collectivité d'outre-mer (French overseas community). The French overseas collectivities ( collectivités d'outre-mer or COM) like the French regions, themselves are first-order Administrative divisions

French painter Paul Gauguin lived on Tahiti in the 1890s and painted many Tahitian (16 °C)subjects. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903 was a leading Post-Impressionist painter. Papeari has a small Gauguin museum.

Politics

Tahitian Women on the Beach (1891)

Tahitians are French citizens with nearly full civil and political rights. The Tahitian language and the French language are both in use. Tahitian, a Tahitic language, is one of the two official languages of French Polynesia (along with French) French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people

Tahiti is part of French Polynesia (Polynésie Française). French Polynesia is now a semi-autonomous territory of France with its own assembly, President, budget and laws. France's influence is limited to providing subsidies, education and security. The former President of French Polynesia, Oscar Temaru, advocates full independence from France, however, only about 20% of the population is currently in favor of full independence. Oscar Manutahi Temaru (born November 1, 1944, at Faa'a on the island of Tahiti) is French Polynesian politician

During a press conference on June 26, 2006 during the second France-Oceania Summit, French President Jacques Chirac said he did not think the majority of Tahitians wanted independence. He said he would keep an open door to a possible referendum in the future. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita

Elections for the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia, were held on May 23, 2004 (see French Polynesian legislative election, 2004). French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the Elections for the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia, were held on May 23, 2004. In a surprise result, Oscar Temaru's pro-independence progressive coalition formed a Government with a one seat majority in the 57 seat parliament, defeating the conservative party led by Gaston Flosse (see also List of political parties in French Polynesia). Oscar Manutahi Temaru (born November 1, 1944, at Faa'a on the island of Tahiti) is French Polynesian politician Political parties in French Polynesia lists political parties in French Polynesia. On October 8, 2004, the Gaston Flosse led opposition party succeeded in passing a censure motion against the Government, provoking a political crisis. A major topic of controversy is whether the national government of France should use its exceptional power to call for new elections in a local government, in case of a grave political crisis.

Demographics

The people are of Polynesian (Pacific Islander) ancestry, the so-called Demis, as well as the people of European ancestry and the people of East Asian (essentially Chinese) ancestry are concentrated in Tahiti, thus making up a larger share of the population in Tahiti than in French Polynesia overall (see Demographics section at French Polynesia). Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Pacific Islander (or Pacific Person, pl Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s] ' is a geographic term to describe the Austronesian Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the Most people from metropolitan France live in Papeete and its suburbs, notably Punaauia where they make up almost 20% of the population. Metropolitan France (France métropolitaine or la Métropole, or colloquially l'Hexagone) is the part of France located in Europe, including Papeete ("water from a basket" see footnote for variant spelling (papeʔete is the Capital of French Polynesia, an overseas territory South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Punaauia is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.

Historical population

Tahitian coast

Tourism is a significant industry, mostly to the islands of Bora Bora and Moorea. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Moorea Rolfe is a synonym of the orchid genus Neomoorea. Moorea is a High island in French Polynesia, part In July, the Heiva festival in Papeete celebrates Polynesian culture and the commemoration of the storming of the Bastille in France. The Bastille was a Fortress - Prison in Paris, known formally as Bastille Saint-Antoine —Number 232 Rue Saint-Antoine—best known today

After the establishment of the CEP (Centre d'Experimentation du Pacifique) in 1963, the standard of living in French Polynesia increased considerably and as a result, many Polynesians abandoned traditional activities and many islanders decided to emigrate to the centre at Papeete. Even though the standard of living in Polynesia is elevated (due mainly to France's FDI investment), the economy is extremely reliant on imports. At the cessation of CEP activities, France signed the Progress Pact with Tahiti to compensate the loss of financial resources and assist in education and tourism with an investment of about US$150 Million a year from the beginning of 2006. The main trading partners with Tahiti are France which accounts for about 40% of imports and about 25% of exports, the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

Tautira

Black pearl farming is also a substantial source of revenues, most of the pearls being exported to Japan, Europe and the US. Tautira is an atmospheric Polynesian beach Village on the south-east coast of Tahiti' Iti on the island of Tahiti in the Pacific. A pearl is a hard roundish object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled Mollusk. Tahiti also exports vanilla, fruits, flowers, monoi, fish, coprah oil, and noni. Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit

Unemployment affects about 13% of the active population, especially women and unqualified young people.

Tahiti’s currency, the French Pacific Franc (CFP, also known as XPF), is pegged to the Euro at 1 CFP = EUR . The CFP franc (called the franc in everyday use is the Currency used in the French overseas possessions of French Polynesia, New Caledonia Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e 00838 (approx. 81 CFP to the US Dollar as of January 2008). The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Hotels and financial institutions offer exchange services.

There is no sales tax in Tahiti. However, a special 2% reduced rate Value Added Tax (VAT) applies to all rented accommodations (hotel rooms, pensions and family stays), and room and meal packages for tourists. A 4% VAT rate applies to purchases in shops, stores and boutiques. A 6% VAT rate applies to bars, excursions, car rentals, snacks and restaurants.

Education

Tahiti hosts a French university, Université de la Polynésie Française ("University of French Polynesia"). The Université de la Polynésie Française (University of French Polynesia UPF is a French University and the only one in French Polynesia. It is a small growing university, with around 2,000 students and about 60 researchers. Le Collège La Mennais is located in Papeete.

Transport

Air Tahiti Nui.

Faa'a International Airport is the international airport of Tahiti with Air Tahiti Nui being the national airline while Air Tahiti is the main airline for inter-island flights. Faa'a International Airport or Tahiti Faa'a International Airport (Aéroport International Tahiti Faa'a is located in the commune (municipality Air Tahiti Nui is French Polynesia 's Flag carrier Airline with its headquarters in Papeete, Tahiti. Air Tahiti is a Regional airline based in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. The Moorea Ferry is also a notable ferry that operates from Papeete. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and There are also several Ferries which transport people and goods throughout the islands.

References

See also

• Music of Tahiti
• Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia
• Tahitian language
• Nuclear-free zone

External links

• Official Website (Tahiti Tourism Board)
• Map of French Polynesia
• CIA Factbook entry
• Picture gallery
• University of French Polynesia
• Photogallery of Society Islands
• (French) Informations sur Tahiti
• (French) Faufa'a Tupuna, le wiki consacré au patrimoine culturel polynésien
• Tahiti is at coordinates 17°40′S 149°27′W