|Coordinates||17°40′S 149°25′W / 17.667°S 149.417°W|
|Area||1,044 km2 (403 sq mi)|
|Highest elevation||2,241 m (7352 ft)|
|Highest point||Mont Orohena|
|Overseas collectivity||French Polynesia|
|Largest settlement||Papeʻete (pop. 136,777)|
|Population||189,517 (August 2017 census)|
|Pop. density||181/km2 (469/sq mi)|
Tahiti (English: /təˈhiːti/; Tahitian [taˈhiti]; French pronunciation: [ta.i.ti]; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Australia. Divided into two parts, Tahiti Nui (bigger, northwestern part) and Tahiti Iti (smaller, southeastern part), the island was formed from volcanic activity; it is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs. Its population was 189,517 in 2017, making it by far the most populous island in French Polynesia and accounting for 68.7% of its total population.
Tahiti is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia, an
Tahiti is the highest and largest island in French Polynesia lying close to Moʻorea island. It is located 4,400 kilometres (2,376 nautical miles) south of Hawaiʻi, 7,900 km (4,266 nmi) from Chile, 5,700 km (3,078 nmi) from Australia.
The island is 45 km (28 mi) across at its widest point and covers an area of 1,045 km2 (403 sq mi). The highest peak is
The northwestern portion is known as Tahiti Nui ("big Tahiti"), while the much smaller southeastern portion is known as Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti") or Taiʻarapū. Tahiti Nui is heavily populated along the coast, especially around the capital, Papeʻete.
The interior of Tahiti Nui is almost entirely uninhabited. Tahiti Iti has remained isolated, as its southeastern half (Te Pari) is accessible only to those travelling by boat or on foot. The rest of the island is encircled by a main road which cuts between the mountains and the sea. Tahiti's landscape features lush rainforests and many rivers and waterfalls, including the Papenoʻo on the north side and the Fautaua Falls near Papeʻete.
The Society archipelago is a
November to April is the wet season, the wettest month of which is January with 340 millimetres (13 in) of rain in Papeʻete. August is the driest with 48 millimetres (1.9 in).
The average temperature ranges between 21 and 31 °C (70 and 88 °F), with little seasonal variation. The lowest and highest temperatures recorded in Papeʻete are 16 and 34 °C (61 and 93 °F), respectively.
|Climate data for Tahiti, 1961-1990 normals|
|Average high °C (°F)||30.3
|Daily mean °C (°F)||26.8
|Average low °C (°F)||23.4
|Average precipitation mm (inches)||315.2
|Source: World Meteorological Organization|
About 1.4 million to 870,000 years ago, the island of Tahiti was formed as a
Early settling of Tahiti
The first Tahitians arrived from Western Polynesia some time before 500 BC. Linguistic, biological and archaeological evidence supports a long migration from Southeast Asia via the Fijian, Samoan and Tongan Archipelagos using outrigger canoes that were up to twenty or thirty metres long and could transport families as well as domestic animals.  
Civilization before the arrival of the Europeans
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the island was divided into territories, each dominated by a single clan. The most important clans were the closely related Teva i Uta (Teva of the Interior) and the Teva i Tai (Teva of the Sea) whose combined territory extended from the peninsula in the south of Tahiti Nui.
Clan leadership consisted of a chief (ariʻi rahi), nobles (ariʻi), and under-chiefs (ʻĪatoʻai). The ariʻi were also the religious leaders, revered for the
The chief's spiritual power was also limited; each clan's practice was organized around their marae (stone temple) and its priests.: 23, 26–27
First European visits
The first European to arrive at Tahiti may have been Spanish explorer
The next stage of European visits to the region came during the period of intense Anglo-French rivalry that filled the twelve years between the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. The first of these visits, and perhaps the first European visit to Tahiti, was under the command of Captain Samuel Wallis. While circumnavigating the globe in HMS Dolphin, they sighted the island on 18 June 1767 and then harbored in Matavai Bay between the chiefdom Pare-Arue (governed by Tu (Tu-nui-e-aʻa-i-te-Atua) and his regent Tutaha) and the chiefdom Haʻapape, governed by Amo and his wife "Oberea" (Purea). The first contacts were difficult, but to avert all-out war after a British show of force, Oberea laid down peace offerings leading to cordial relations.: 45–84, 104, 135
On 2 April 1768,
By 12 April 1769 Captain James Cook had arrived in Tahiti's Matavai Bay, commanding HMS Endeavour.: 141 He had been sent on a scientific mission with astronomy, botany, and artistic details. On 14 April Cook met Tutaha and Tepau: 144 and the next day he picked the site for a fortified camp at Point Venus for Charles Green's observatory.: 147 Botanist Joseph Banks and artist Sydney Parkinson, along with Cook, gathered valuable information on fauna and flora as well as on native society, language and customs, including the proper name of the island. Cook also met many island chiefs.: 154–155, 175, 183–185 Cook and Endeavour left Tahiti on 13 July 1769.: 149, 186–202, 205 Cook estimated the population to be 200,000 including all the nearby islands in the chain.: 308 This estimate was reduced to 35,000 by Cook's contemporary, anthropologist and Tahiti expert Douglas L. Oliver.
Cook returned to Tahiti between 15 August and 1 September 1773. Greeted by the chiefs, Cook anchored in Vaitepiha Bay before returning to Point Venus. Cook left Tahiti on 14 May 1774.: 263–279, 284, 290, 301–312
Pautu and Tetuanui returned to Tahiti with Bonechea aboard Aguila on 14 November 1774; Tipitipia and Heiao had died. Bonechea died on 26 January 1775 in Tahiti and was buried near the mission he had established at Tautira Bay. Lt Tomas Gayangos took over command and set sail for Peru on 27 January, leaving the Fathers Geronimo Clota and Narciso Gonzalez and the sailors Maximo Rodriguez and Francisco Perez in charge of the mission. On the third Aguila expedition, under Don Cayetano de Langara, the mission on Tahiti was abandoned on 12 November 1775, when the Fathers successfully begged to be taken back to Lima.: 321, 323, 340, 351–357, 361, 381–383
During his final visit in 1777 Cook first moored in Vaitepiha Bay. From there he reunited with many Tahitian clans and established British presence on the remains of the Spanish mission. On 29 September 1777 Cook sailed for Papetoʻai Bay on Moʻorea.: 440–444, 447
British influence and the rise of the Pōmare
Mutineers of the Bounty
On 26 October 1788, HMS Bounty, under the command of Captain William Bligh, landed in Tahiti with the mission of carrying Tahitian breadfruit trees (Tahitian: ʻuru) to the Caribbean. Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist from James Cook's first expedition, had concluded that this plant would be ideal to feed the African slaves working in the Caribbean plantations at very little cost. The crew remained in Tahiti for about five months, the time needed to transplant the seedlings of the trees. Three weeks after leaving Tahiti, on 28 April 1789, the crew mutinied on the initiative of Fletcher Christian. The mutineers seized the ship and set the captain and most of those members of the crew who remained loyal to him adrift in a ship's boat. A group of mutineers then went back to settle in Tahiti.
Although various explorers had refused to get involved in tribal conflicts, the mutineers from the Bounty offered their services as mercenaries and furnished arms to the family which became the
In about 1790, the ambitious chief Tū took the title of king and gave himself the name Pōmare. Captain Bligh explains that this name was a homage to his eldest daughter Teriʻinavahoroa, who had died of tuberculosis, "an illness that made her cough (mare) a lot, especially at night (pō)". Thus he became Pōmare I, founding the Pōmare Dynasty and his lineage would be the first to unify Tahiti from 1788 to 1791. He and his descendants founded and expanded Tahitian influence to all of the lands that now constitute modern French Polynesia.
In 1791, HMS Pandora under Captain Edward Edwards called at Tahiti and took custody of fourteen of the mutineers. Four were drowned in the sinking of Pandora on her homeward voyage, three were hanged, four were acquitted, and three were pardoned.
Landings of the whalers
In the 1790s,
Arrival of the missionaries
On 5 March 1797, representatives of the London Missionary Society landed at Matavai Bay (Mahina) on board Duff, with the intention of converting the pagan native populations to Christianity. The arrival of these missionaries marked a new turning point for the island of Tahiti, having a lasting impact on the local culture.
The first years proved hard work for the missionaries, despite their association with the Pōmare, the importance of whom they were aware of thanks to the reports of earlier sailors. In 1803, upon the death of Pōmare I, his son Vairaʻatoa succeeded him and took the title of Pōmare II. He allied himself more and more with the missionaries, and from 1803 they taught him reading and the Gospels. Furthermore, the missionaries encouraged his wish to conquer his opponents, so that they would only have to deal with a single political contact, enabling them to develop Christianity in a unified country. The conversion of Pōmare II to Protestantism in 1812 marks moreover the point when Protestantism truly took off on the island.
In about 1810, Pōmare II married Teremoʻemoʻe daughter of the chief of Raiatea, to ally himself with the chiefdoms of the Leeward Islands. On 12 November 1815, thanks to these alliances, Pōmare II won a decisive battle at Feʻi Pī (Punaʻauia), notably against Opuhara, the chief of the powerful clan of Teva. This victory allowed Pōmare II to be styled Ariʻi Rahi, or the king of Tahiti. It was the first time that Tahiti had been united under the control of a single family. This marked the end of Tahitian feudalism and the military aristocracy, which were replaced by an absolute monarchy. At the same time, Protestantism quickly spread, thanks to the support of Pōmare II, and replaced the traditional beliefs. In 1816 the London Missionary Society sent John Williams as a missionary and teacher, and starting in 1817, the Gospels were translated into Tahitian (Reo Maohi) and taught in the religious schools. In 1818, the minister William Pascoe Crook founded the city of Papeʻete, which became the capital of the island.
In 1819, Pōmare II, encouraged by the missionaries, introduced the first Tahitian legal code, known under the name of the Pōmare Legal Code, which consists of nineteen laws. The missionaries and Pōmare II thus imposed a ban on nudity (obliging them to wear clothes covering their whole body), banned dances and chants (described as immodest), tattoos, and costumes made of flowers.
In the 1820s, the entire population of Tahiti converted to Protestantism.
When, on 7 December 1821, Pōmare II died, his son Pōmare III was only eighteen months old. His uncle and the religious people therefore supported the regency, until 2 May 1824, the date on which the missionaries conducted his coronation, a ceremony unprecedented in Tahiti. Taking advantage of the weakness of the Pōmare, local chiefs won back some of their power and took the hereditary title of Tavana (from the English word "governor"). The missionaries also took advantage of the situation to change the way in which powers were arranged, and to make the Tahitian monarchy closer to the English model of a constitutional monarchy. They therefore created the Tahitian Legislative Assembly, which first sat on 23 February 1824.
In 1827, the young Pōmare III suddenly died, and it was his half-sister, ʻAimata, aged thirteen, who took the title of Pōmare IV. The Birmingham born missionary George Pritchard, who was the acting British consul, became her main adviser and tried to interest her in the affairs of the kingdom. But the authority of the Queen, who was certainly less charismatic than her father, was challenged by the chiefs, who had won back an important part of their prerogatives since the death of Pōmare II. The power of the Pōmare had become more symbolic than real; time and time again Queen Pōmare, Protestant and anglophile, sought in vain the protection of England.
In November 1835 Charles Darwin visited Tahiti aboard HMS Beagle on her circumnavigation, captained by Robert FitzRoy. He was impressed by what he perceived to be the positive influence the missionaries had had on the sobriety and moral character of the population. Darwin praised the scenery, but was not flattering towards Tahiti's Queen Pōmare IV. Captain Fitzroy negotiated payment of compensation for an attack on an English ship by Tahitians, which had taken place in 1833.
In Sept. 1839, the island was visited by the United States Exploring Expedition. One of its members, Alfred Thomas Agate, produced a number of sketches of Tahitian life, some of which were later published in the United States.
French protectorate and the end of the Pōmare kingdom
In 1836, the Queen's advisor Pritchard had two French Catholic priests expelled,
Within the framework of this treaty, France recognised the sovereignty of the Tahitian state. The Queen was responsible for internal affairs, while France would deal with foreign relations and assure the defence of Tahiti, as well as maintain order on the island. Once the treaty had been signed there began a struggle for influence between the English Protestants and the Catholic representatives of France. During the first years of the Protectorate, the Protestants managed to retain a considerable hold over Tahitian society, thanks to their knowledge of the country and its language. George Pritchard had been away at the time. He returned however to work towards indoctrinating the locals against the Roman Catholic French.
Tahitian War of independence (1844–47)
In 1843, the Queen's Protestant advisor, Pritchard, persuaded her to display the Tahitian flag in place of the flag of the Protectorate. By way of reprisal, Admiral Dupetit-Thouars announced the annexation of the Kingdom of Pōmare on 6 November 1843 and set up the governor Armand Joseph Bruat there as the chief of the new colony. He threw Pritchard into prison, and later sent him back to Britain. The annexation caused the Queen to be exiled to the Leeward Islands, and after a period of troubles, a real Franco-Tahitian war began in March 1844. News of Tahiti reached Europe in early 1844. The French statesman François Guizot, supported by King Louis-Philippe of France, had denounced annexation of the island.
The war ended in December 1846 in favour of the French. The Queen returned from exile in 1847 and agreed to sign a new covenant, considerably reducing her powers, while increasing those of the commissaire. The French nevertheless still reigned over the Kingdom of Tahiti. In 1863, they put an end to the British influence and replaced the British Protestant Missions with the Société des missions évangéliques de Paris (Society of Evangelical Missions of Paris).
During the same period about a thousand Chinese, mainly Cantonese, were recruited at the request of a plantation owner in Tahiti, William Stewart, to work on the great cotton plantation at Atimaono. When the enterprise resulted in bankruptcy in 1873, some Chinese workers returned to their country, but a large number stayed in Tahiti and mixed with the population.
In 1866 the district councils were formed, elected, which were given the powers of the traditional hereditary chiefs. In the context of the republican assimilation, these councils tried their best to protect the traditional way of life of the local people, which was threatened by European influence.
In 1877, Queen Pōmare died after ruling for fifty years. Her son, Pōmare V, then succeeded her on the throne. The new king seemed little concerned with the affairs of the kingdom, and when in 1880 the governor Henri Isidore Chessé, supported by the Tahitian chiefs, pushed him to abdicate in favour of France, he accepted. On 29 June 1880, he ceded Tahiti to France along with the islands that were its dependencies. He was given the titular position of Officer of the Orders of the
The French painter Paul Gauguin lived on Tahiti in the 1890s and painted many Tahitian subjects. Papeari has a small Gauguin museum.
In 1891 Matthew Turner, an American shipbuilder from San Francisco who had been seeking a fast passage between the city and Tahiti, built Papeete, a two-masted schooner that made the trip in seventeen days.
Twentieth century to present
In 1903, the Établissements Français d'Océanie (French Establishments in Oceania) were created, which collected together Tahiti, the other
In 1946, Tahiti and the whole of French Polynesia became an overseas territory (Territoire d'outre-mer). Tahitians were granted French citizenship, a right that had been campaigned for by nationalist leader Pouvanaʻa a Oopa for many years.
On 17 July 1974, the French did a
In 2003, French Polynesia's status was changed to that of an overseas collectivity (collectivité d'outre-mer), and in 2004 it was declared an overseas country (pays d'outre-mer or POM).
In 2009, Tauatomo Mairau claimed the Tahitian throne and attempted to re-assert the status of the monarchy in court.
This section needs to be updated.(May 2021)
Tahiti is part of French Polynesia. French Polynesia is a semi-autonomous territory of France with its own assembly, president, budget and laws. France's influence is limited to subsidies, education, and security.
Tahitians are French citizens with complete civil and political rights. French is the official language, but Tahitian and French are both in use. However there was a time during the 1960s and 1970s when children were forbidden to speak Tahitian in schools. Tahitian is now taught in schools; it is sometimes even a requirement for employment.
During a press conference on 26 June 2006 during the second France-Oceania Summit, French President Jacques Chirac said he did not think the majority of Tahitians wanted independence. He would keep an open door to a possible referendum in the future.
Elections for the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia, were held on 23 May 2004.
In a surprise result,
The indigenous Tahitians are of Polynesian ancestry and make up 70% of the population alongside Europeans, East Asians (mostly Chinese), and people of mixed heritage, sometimes referred to as Demis.
The places of birth of the 189,517 residents of the island of Tahiti at the 2017 census were the following:
- 75.4% were born in Tahiti (up from 71.5% at the 2007 census)
- 9.3% in Metropolitan France (down from 10.9% in 2007)
- 5.9% elsewhere in the Society Islands (down from 6.4% in 2007)
- 2.8% in the Tuamotu-Gambier (down from 3.3% in 2007)
- 1.8% in the Marquesas Islands (down from 2.0% in 2007)
- 1.6% in the Austral Islands (down from 2.0% in 2007)
- 1.3% in the overseas departments and territories of France other than French Polynesia (1.0% in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna; 0.3% in the other overseas departments and collectivities) (down from 1.6% in 2007)
- 0.5% in East and Southeast Asia (same percentage as in 2007)
- 0.3% in North Africa (most of them Pieds-Noirs) (down from 0.4% in 2007)
- 1.1% in other foreign countries (down from 1.5% in 2007)
Most people from metropolitan France live in Papeʻete and its suburbs, notably Punaʻauia, where they made up 16.8% of the population at the 2017 census, and Arue, where they made up 15.9%; these percentages do not include their children born in French Polynesia.
|Official figures from past censuses.|
The island consists of 12 communes, which, along with Moʻorea-Maiao, make up the Windward Islands administrative subdivision.
The capital is
Communes of Tahiti
The following is a list of communes and their subdivisions sorted alphabetically:
|Arue||9,494||21.45 km2 (8.28 sq mi)||443/km2 (1,150/sq mi)|
Tetiaroa, an atoll north of Arue belongs to the commune.
|29,781||34.2 km2 (13.2 sq mi)||871/km2 (2,260/sq mi)||Largest commune (by population) in Tahiti and French Polynesia.|
Hitiaʻa O Te Ra
|8,691||218.2 km2 (84.2 sq mi)||40/km2 (100/sq mi)||Hitiaʻa, Mahaʻena, Papenoʻo, Tiarei||The administrative centre of the commune is the settlement of Hitiaʻa.|
|Māhina||14,356||51.6 km2 (19.9 sq mi)||278/km2 (720/sq mi)||Close to the Papenoʻo River.|
|Pāʻea||12,084||64.5 km2 (24.9 sq mi)||187/km2 (480/sq mi)|
|Paparā||10,634||92.5 km2 (35.7 sq mi)||115/km2 (300/sq mi)|
|Papeʻete||26,050||17.4 km2 (6.7 sq mi)||1,497/km2 (3,880/sq mi)||Capital of French Polynesia and 2nd largest city.|
|Pīraʻe||14,551||35.4 km2 (13.7 sq mi)||411/km2 (1,060/sq mi)||Located between Papeʻete and Arue.|
|Punaʻauia||25,399||75.9 km2 (29.3 sq mi)||335/km2 (870/sq mi)||French painter Paul Gauguin lived in Punaʻauia in the 1890s. Punaʻauia is the 3rd largest city in French Polynesia.|
|Taiʻarapu-Est||11,538||218.3 km2 (84.3 sq mi)||53/km2 (140/sq mi)||Afaʻahiti, Faʻaone, Pueu, Tautira||An offshore island called Mehetia belongs to the commune.|
|Taiʻarapu-Ouest||7,007||104.3 km2 (40.3 sq mi)||67/km2 (170/sq mi)||Teahupoʻo, Toahotu, Vairao||Extends over half of the peninsula of Tahiti Iti.|
|Teva I Uta||8,591||119.5 km2 (46.1 sq mi)||72/km2 (190/sq mi)||Mataiea, Papeari||The administrative centre of the commune is the settlement of Mataiea.|
Tourism is a significant industry, generating 17% of GDP before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The main trading partners are Metropolitan France for about 40% of imports and about 25% of exports. The other main trading partners are China, the US, South Korea, and New Zealand.
Tahitian pearl (Black pearl) farming is also a substantial source of revenues, most of the pearls being exported to Japan, Europe and the United States. Tahiti also exports vanilla, fruits, flowers, monoi, fish, copra oil, and noni. Tahiti is also home to a single winery, whose vineyards are located on the Rangiroa atoll.
Unemployment affects about 15% 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 .0084 (1 EUR = 119.05 CFP, approx. 113 CFP to the United States dollar in March 2017). Hotels and financial institutions offer exchange services.
Energy and electricity
French Polynesia imports its petroleum and has no local refinery or production. Daily consumption of imported oil products was 7,430 barrels, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Tahitian cultures included an oral tradition that involved the mythology of gods, such as
The Musée de Tahiti et des Îles (Museum of Tahiti and the Islands) is in Punaʻauia. It is an ethnographic museum that was founded in 1974 to conserve and restore Polynesian artefacts and cultural practices.
The Robert Wan Pearl Museum is the world's only museum dedicated to pearls. The Papeʻete Market sells local arts and crafts.
One of the most widely recognised images of the islands is the world-famous Tahitian dance. The ʻōteʻa (sometimes written as otea) is a traditional dance from Tahiti, where the dancers, standing in several rows, execute figures. This dance, easily recognised by its fast hip-shaking and grass skirts, is often confused with the Hawaiʻian hula, a generally slower, more graceful dance which focuses more on the hands and storytelling than the hips.
The ʻōteʻa is one of the few dances which existed in pre-European times as a male dance. On the other hand, the hura (Tahitian vernacular for hula), a dance for women, has disappeared, and the couple's dance ʻupaʻupa is likewise gone but may have re-emerged as the tamure. Nowadays, the ʻōteʻa can be danced by men (ʻōteʻa tāne), by women (ʻōteʻa vahine), or by both genders (ʻōteʻa ʻāmui, "united ʻō"). The dance is with music only, drums, but no singing. The drum can be one of the types of the tōʻere, a laying log of wood with a longitudinal slit, which is struck by one or two sticks. Or it can be the pahu, the ancient Tahitian standing drum covered with a shark skin and struck by the hands or with sticks. The rhythm from the tōʻere is fast; from the pahu it is slower. A smaller drum, the faʻatete, can also be used.
The dancers make gestures, re-enacting daily occupations of life. For the men the themes can be chosen from warfare or sailing, and then they may use spears or paddles.
For women the themes are closer to home or from nature: combing their hair or the flight of a butterfly, for example. More elaborate themes can be chosen, for example, one where the dancers end up in a map of Tahiti, highlighting important places. In a proper ʻōteʻa the story of the theme should pervade the whole dance.
The group dance called ʻAparima is often performed with the dancers dressed in pareo and maro. There are two types of ʻaparima: the ʻaparima hīmene (sung handdance) and the ʻaparima vāvā (silent handdance), the latter being performed with music only and no singing.
Newer dances include the hivinau and the paʻoʻa.
The Tahitians believed in the afterlife, a paradise called Rohutu-noʻanoʻa. When a Tahitian died, the corpse was wrapped in barkcloth and placed on a funeral bier, fare tupapa ʻu, which was a raised canoe awning on posts surrounded by bamboo. Food for the gods was placed nearby to prevent them from eating the body, which would condemn the spirit to the underworld. Mourners would slash themselves with shark's teeth and smear the blood on barkcloth placed nearby. Most importantly, the Chief Mourner donned the parae, an elaborate costume that included an iridescent mask made of four polished pearl shell discs. One disk was black, signifying Po, the spirit world, while one was white, signifying Ao, the world of people. A crown of red feathers signified ʻOro. A curved wooden board, pautu, below the mask contained five polished pearl shells, which signified Hina, the moon goddess. Hanging below were more shells in rows, ahu-parau, representing the Pleiades, believed to be the eyes of former chiefs. Finally, a ceremonial garment, tiputa, covered the body and was decorated with an apron of polished coconut shells, ahu-ʻaipu.: 151–152, 177–179, 308
The Tahitian national sport is
Major sports in Tahiti include
Another sport is surfing, with famous surfers such as Malik Joyeux and Michel Bourez. Teahupoʻo is one of the deadliest surf breaks in the world.
Rugby union in Tahiti is governed by the Fédération Tahitienne de Rugby de Polynésie Française which was formed in 1989. The Tahiti national rugby union team has been active since 1971 but have only played 12 games since then.
In 2010, Tahiti was chosen as the host of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which was held in September 2013.
Tahiti has also been represented at the World Championship of Pétanque. They are the pre-eminent country in the Oceania region for Pétanque, undoubtedly due to their strong connections to France.
As part of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tahiti will host the surfing competition. It will be the only sport to be held outside of France as Paris hosts the international competition 15,716 km (9,765 mi) away.
Tahiti is depicted in the biography of Paul Gauguin in the 2017 French film Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti portraying his life during his years on Tahiti.
Also linked to Tahiti are the various films narrating the story of the 1789 mutiny on HMS Bounty – e.g. Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) with actor Marlon Brando, The Bounty (1984) with Mel Gibson.
Tahiti is home to the University of French Polynesia (Université de la Polynésie Française). It is a growing university, with 3,200 students and 62 researchers. Many courses are available such as law, commerce, science, and literature. There is also the Collège La Mennais located in Papeʻete.
- Farahia Teuiria (born 1972), footballer
Faʻaʻā International Airport is located 5 km (3.1 mi) from Papeʻete in the commune of Faʻaʻā and is the only international airport in French Polynesia. Because of limited level terrain, rather than levelling large stretches of sloping agricultural land, the airport is built primarily on reclaimed land on the coral reef just off-shore.
International destinations such as
Flights within French Polynesia and to New Caledonia are available from Aircalin and Air Tahiti; Air Tahiti has their headquarters at the airport.
The Moʻorea Ferry operates from Papeʻete and takes about 45 minutes to travel to
Tahiti has a freeway that runs across the west coast. This freeway starts in Arue and continues across the Papeʻete urban area. Then it continues along the west coast of Tahiti Nui through smaller villages. The freeway turns east toward Taravao where Tahiti Nui meets Tahiti Iti. Tahiti's west coast freeway keeps going until Teahupoʻo where the freeway becomes a thin paved road.
- Cultural variations in adoption § Polynesia
- List of volcanoes in French Polynesia
- Nuclear-free zone
- Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia
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- ^ P. V. Kirch: On the Road of the Winds – An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands Before European Contact; Berkeley, Los Angeles, London 2002, pp. 230–231. There is much debate as to the exact date of the original Polynesian migration to Tahiti, and indeed whether it came in one wave or several. Some experts put it as late as 500–800 BCE.
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- ^ In 1769, for instance, James Cook mentions a great traditional ship (vaʻa) in Tahiti that was 33 m (108 ft) long and could be propelled by sail or paddles.Laneyrie-Dagen, p. 148
- ^ In 2010, an expedition on a simple outrigger canoe with a sail retraced the route back from Tahiti to Asia.O Tahiti Nui Freedom au bout de son rêve Archived 28 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Lesnouvelles.pf (20 November 2010). Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-2-296-09234-1
- ^ a b Salvat, p. 187
- ^ Anne Salmond quotes John Orsmond, an early missionary, as stating, "Marae were the sanctity and glory of the land, they were the pride of the people of these islands." This was especially true for the ancestral and national marae associated with the royal line. "It was the basis of royalty; It awakened the gods; It fixed the red feather girdle of the high chiefs."
- ^ ISBN 9780520261143.
- ^ José Toribio Medina, El Piloto Juan Fernandez, descubridor de las islas que llevan su nombre, y Juan Jufré, armador de la espedición que hizo en busca de otras en los Mares del Sur Santiago de Chile, 1918, reprinted by Gabriela Mistral, 1974, pp. 169
- ^ James Burney (1803) A Chronological History of the Voyages or Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean, Vol. 5, London, p. 222
- ^ Geo. Collingridge (1903). "Who Discovered Tahiti?". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 12 (3): 184–186. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
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- ^ Laneyrie-Dagen, p. 181
- ^ a b Salvat, pp. 44–45
- ^ Louis-Antoine de Bougainville" Voyage autour du monde par la frégate la Boudeuse et la flûte l'Étoile ", ch VIII Read on Wikisource
- ^ Laneyrie-Dagen, p. 185
- ^ "Otahiti" The 'O' was an error of translation -- when asked the name of the island, natives replied "O Tahiti", meaning "It is Tahiti".
- ISBN 0-7864-3471-6
- ISBN 0-8248-1457-6
- ^ Jorge Ortiz Sotelo (2005). "Expediciones peruanas a Tahití, siglo XVIII" (PDF). Derroteros de la Mar del Sur. 13: 95–103. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2007.
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- ^ Introduction to anthropology. Ed., T. Waitz, tr. by J. F. Collingwood. (Anthrop. soc. of London), pp. 158–159 Archived 15 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ See: House of Teururai.
- ISBN 2-213-60114-3, p. 498
- ^ Charles Darwin (1839). "Chapter 18 – Tahiti and New Zealand" in The Voyage of the Beagle. literature.org
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- ^ "Queen Pomare and her Family on the Verandah of Mr. Pritchard's House". The Missionary Repository for Youth, and Sunday School Missionary Magazine. Paternoster Row, London: John Snow. IX: Frontispiece. 1847. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ Colin Newbury. "Journal of the Polynesian Society: Resistance And Collaboration In French Polynesia: The Tahitian War: 1844-7, By Colin Newbury, P 5-27". Jps.auckland.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Law of 30 December 1880, Messager de Tahiti, 25 March 1881
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- ^ Noni Article: Nuclear Tests in Tahiti Archived 20 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Sarinoni.com. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-2265-1. Archivedfrom the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ "Essais nucléaires : en Polynésie française, l'explosion atomique qui ne s'est pas passée comme prévu". France Culture (in French). 9 March 2021. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "French nuclear tests contaminated 110,000 in Pacific, says study". BBC News. 9 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "French nuclear tests 'showered vast area of Polynesia with radioactivity'". the Guardian. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
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- ^ a b Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). "Recensement 2017 – Données détaillées - Migrations" (in French). Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
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- ^ "Population des communes de Polynésie française". INSEE. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ^ "Population des communes de Polynésie française au RP 2007". INSEE. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ^ "Population statistique des communes et communes associées aux recensements de 1971 à 2002". ISPF. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ^ "Persée : Portail de revues en sciences humaines et sociales". persee.fr. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012.
- ^ La Grande Encyclopédie for the 1897 census
- ^ 1848 census. lycos.fr
- ^ Recensement 2007 – Population: Chiffres clés. Iles Du Vent.ispf.pf
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- ^ "French Polynesia Trade". WITS. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "Tahitian Wine". Wine-Searcher. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ "Tahiti job figures mask true rates of unemployment". RNZ. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "International - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (15 August 2022). "This secret surf spot is going to host the next Olympics". euronews. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
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- ^ "The real story behind the infamous mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty". History. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
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- Nadeije Laneyrie-Dagen (1996). Les grands explorateurs, sous la direction de Nadeije Laneyrie-Dagen. Larousse. p. 148. ISBN 2-03-505305-6.
- Bernard Salvat; Eric Conte; François Merceron; Michel-Claude Touchard (2006). Tahiti et les îles de la Société: Polynésie. Gallimard Loisirs. ISBN 978-2-7424-1917-3.
- OL 23272543M.
- Media related to Tahitiat Wikimedia Commons
- Official Tahiti website
- Tahitian Heritage in French with Google Translation available