Pacific Island Paradises

— T a h i t i — – 167 – www.paradises.com Officially known as French Polynesia, Tahiti is made up of 118 islands spread over four million square kilometres of ocean in the eastern South Pacific. The islands are further grouped into five archipelagos: the Society Islands, Austral Islands, Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu Islands and Gambier Islands. Capital and major centres Papeete is the capital of Tahiti, the largest island within French Polynesia, dubbed 'the island of love'. The country's only international airport, Tahiti-Faa'a, is located on the island, making it the first stop in every itinerary. Moorea is Tahiti's closest neighbouring island, some 17 kilometres north-west of Papeete. Heart-shaped Moorea is home to soaring volcanic peaks and magnificent views overlooking the tranquil waters of Cooks Bay and Opunohu Bay. The Society Islands also include legendary Bora Bora, 240 kilometres northwest of Tahiti, as well as Huahine, comprised of two islands joined by a narrow isthmus and enclosed by a protective necklace of coral. Rangiroa and Tikehau are the best known islands in the Tuamotu archipelago. Rangiroa is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus, encircling a 67– kilometre turquoise lagoon famed for its rich diversity of marine life. Tikehau has an almost perfectly circular shape, with its many atolls surrounding a lagoon that extends 26 kilometres across. The people Tahiti's population is a multicultural mix of Polynesians of Maohi (Maori) extraction, Europeans and Asians. They are noted for their hospitality, friendliness and easy-going nature. French and Tahitian are the two official languages on the islands, however English is widely spoken in hotels and shops. History Hundreds of years after the ancient Polynesians made the Tahitian islands their home, explorers like Mendana, Quiros, Le Maire, Schouten, Roggeveen and Byron made brief and unplanned visits to the Tuamotu Islands and the Marquesas islands in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Later in the 18th century explorers such as Bougainville, Wallis, Vancouver and Cook 'discovered' Tahiti and called it 'La Nouvelle Cythère'. Captain Cook returned three times to study the transition of Venus, Captain Bligh came to collect seedlings from the wondrous 'Uru' or breadfruit tree, and the insubordinate Fletcher Christian T A H I T I Papeete Tahiti SOCIETY ISLANDS LEEWARD ISLANDS WINDWARD ISLANDS Bora Bora Rangiroa TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO ACTAEON ISLANDS GAMBIER ISLANDS Maupiti Moorea Huahine Tikehau Manihi Fakarava Tetiaroa Raiatea Taha'a Tupai AUSTRAL ISLANDS Rapa Rurutu Tubua'i Raivavae Maria Rimatara MARQUESAS ISLANDS Nuku Hiva Ua Pou Ua Huka Hiva Oa Fatu Hiva

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