[Edit]Overview
The term French Polynesia refers to five archipelagoes spread over an expanse of the South Pacific approximately the size of Western Europe (2,000,000 square miles or approximately 5,000,000 square kilometers). The region includes the Marquesas , the Tuamotus, the Society Islands, with Tahiti and Bora Bora as the best known islands, the Australs and the Gambiers.
Each of these archipelagoes has its own culture, ethnicity and climate; all of them are unique travel destinations with beaches of unrivaled beauty, many activities and a very friendly population.
French Polynesia was the natural backdrop for the legendary paintings of Paul Gauguin. Like the vast majority of visitors to the region, Gauguin has inspired by French Polynesia's turquoise lagoons, multi-coloured reef fish, volcanic peaks, lush valleys and white-sand beaches.
Destinations in French Polynesia Tahiti Rangiroa Avatoru Marquesas Papeete Bora bora Maharepa Mangareva Moorea
[Edit]History
The Polynesians inhabited these islands for several hundred years before their discovery by western explorers. Several marae still exist scattered throughout the islands as evidence of this inhabitation. The British discovered Tahiti in the mid 1760's and Captain Cook visited there in 1769 to observe the Transit of Venus before sailing on to the south and west in search of the fabled Terra Australus Incognita with the assistance of a Polynesian navigator. The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. Dependency status: French Polynesia has been an overseas territory of France since 1946 During the 1960's and 1970's, the French conducted atmospheric nuclear tests in the islands, primarily at Mururoa atoll. Testing later moved underground after international protests from other Pacific countries, including a flotilla of yachts and a warship from New Zealand to monitor tests in 1974. Testing continued into the early 1990's, despite attempts to disrupt them by enviromental activists. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. In recent years the islanders have been working towards autonomy and economic independence from France. However, the process is a gradual one and is expected to take a decade or two to occur.
