Tahiti

Tahiti (French: Tahiti, historically called Otaheite) is the largest island of Polynesia Francesa, a French overseas territory located on the Society Islands, in the southern Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Papeete. It is part of the group of the Windward Islands, and of the Society archipelago.

This elevated and mountainous island, of volcanic origin, is surrounded by a coral reef and consists mainly of two pieces of land connected by the Isthmus of Taravao: Tahiti Nui or Great Tahiti, located to the northwest and Tahiti Iti or Little Tahiti, located to the southeast. In total, the territory covers about 1042 km² and its highest point is Mount Orohena. In 2002 the island had 169,674 inhabitants, who are mainly engaged in the tourism industry. The official language is French.

In a Spanish expedition of 1774, the navigator Domingo de Bonechea arrived in Tahiti on an expedition organized by the Viceroy of Peru, Manuel de Amat y Juniet, in honor of whom he named it "Isla de Amat".

History

The history of Tahiti has been characterized, firstly, by the settlement on the island by Polynesian navigators, of Austronesian origin, then by the discovery of the island by European explorers. Trade with Europeans allowed a Tahitian family, the Pōmare dynasty, to assert its authority over the island as a whole. From the end of the 18th century some English missionaries Christianized the island. It then became a French protectorate in the mid-19th century century. The island then became a French colony, a member of the French Departments of Oceania, before being linked to a group of archipelagos called French Polynesia.

The first settlers

The native population is Polynesian, and it is estimated that they settled on the island around 300 BC, during the early migrations and colonization of the entire Polynesian space from the archipelagos of Tonga and Samoa, and before, after of long voyages from Southeast Asia, Taiwan or Indonesia.

This hypothesis of migrations from Southeast Asia is supported by numerous linguistic, biological, and archaeological evidence. For example, the languages of Fiji and Polynesia belong to the same Oceanic subgroup, that of Fiji-Polynesian, which is part of the great family of Austronesian languages. This migration, across several hundred kilometers of ocean, was made possible by the use of outrigger canoes that could reach several tens of meters in length and transport families, plants with soil in baskets, and domestic animals. Thus, in 1769, James Cook observes in Tahiti a ship 33 meters long, able to progress under sail or with oars. In 2010, an expedition on a simple outrigger canoe and sail successfully completed the settlement path from Tahiti to Asia in reverse.

Austrian migrations in the Indian and Pacific.

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the island was divided into different, very precise territories dominated by a clan. These territories and their leaders were linked to each other by ties of loyalty based on the relationship ties of their leaders and their warrior power. The most important clan on the island is that of the Teva, whose territory extended south of Tahiti Nui to the peninsula or isthmus that joins it to Tahiti Iti.

The Teva clan was made up of the Teva i UTA (“Teva of the interior”) and the Teva i TAI (“Teva of the sea”), and was led by Amo and Purea. A clan consisted of a chief (ari'i and rahi), nobles (ari'i) and sub-chiefs (Īato'ai). The ari'i, were considered descendants of Polynesian gods, invested themselves with mana (power, supernatural power). They traditionally wore red feather belts, a symbol of this power.

The clan chief did not have absolute political power: he had to compose councils or general assemblies with the sub-chiefs and nobles, particularly in case of war. The more distant the nobles were from the clan chief, the more autonomous they became and counterbalanced their centralizing authority. The clans were organized around the "marae”, a consecrated place of worship in the open air.

These marae are truly the heart of the religious and social life of the clan: gods are worshipped, chiefs are established, war and fishing are prepared, births and deaths are celebrated. There is a hierarchy of the marae, going from the simple family marae to the royal marae. The size of the marae is proportional to the influence of the family. One of the royal marae of Tahiti is Farepu. The maraes are protected by the tapu, (the absolute and consecrated forbidden) whose transgression attracts the curse. On the other hand, the term will become part of Western languages as a taboo.

Fertile soil and abundant fish provided easy food for the inhabitants. The perception of the relaxed and cheerful character of the natives and the characterization of the island as a paradise impressed the first European explorers, establishing a romantic and utopian myth in the Western world that lasts until today.

The arrival of the Europeans

It has been speculated that Tahiti was the same Sagittarius island that Pedro Fernández de Quirós described in 1606. But it is more likely that it was Rekareka located on the same parallel as the Tuamotu. Officially, it is considered that the island was discovered in 1606 by the Spanish sailor and explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós. The first European to land on it was Samuel Wallis, more than a century and a half later, specifically on June 19, 1767, giving it the name King George Island in homage to its King George III of England.

A few months later, Louis Antoine de Bougainville landed and named it Nouvelle-Cythère. Bougainville made Tahiti famous in Europe with the publication of his voyage account. Calling it New Kythera, in reference to the Greek island of Kythera where Venus was born, he describes the island as an earthly paradise with a people who live happily in innocence, far from the corruption of civilization. Descriptions of him illustrated Jean-Jacques Rousseau's concept of the noble savage, and influenced the utopian thoughts of philosophers such as Denis Diderot.

British ships Resolution and Adventure, in the bay of Matavay (Tahiti)- 1776. James Cook's second expedition.

Captain James Cook visited Tahiti several times in his three voyages between 1769 and 1779. He was commissioned in July 1768 by the Royal Society to observe the transit of Venus in front of the sun, a phenomenon that was to be visible from Tahiti on the 3rd of June 1769. Arrives in Tahiti aboard the Endeavor in April 1769 and remains on the island for 3 months.

His main base was Matavai Bay, where he built Fort Venus to watch the planet's transit. The place is still called Punta Venus today. This stay allows for the first time to carry out a true scientific work of ethnographic and naturalistic observation of the island. Assisted by the botanist Joseph Banks, and by the cartoonist Sydney Parkinson, Cook gathers precious information on the fauna and flora, as well as on society, language and habits.

His team also maintains friendly relations with the warlord Oberea (Purea), at the origin of the Pōmare dynasty. Cook returns to Tahiti again between August 15 and September 1, 1773, and one last time between August 13 and December 8, 1777. In this last stay, he accompanies chief Tū (queen's nephew Oberea/Purea) on a warlike expedition to Moorea (Aimeo). Cook, however, refuses to provide his military support and limits himself to visiting the island.

The Crown of Spain, by order of the Viceroy of Peru Manuel de Amat y Juniet, also explored it and decided to take possession of the island in 1772, naming it Isla de Amat. The objective is to control the expansion of other European powers in the Pacific, and to evangelize its population. The Viceroy sent a first expedition led by Domingo de Bonechea, a native of Guetaria, in 1772-1773, which departed from the port of Callao.

It was succeeded by another much more evangelical one, with the same origin, in the two-year period 1773-1774, with the same ship called El Águila and the same captain, and another liner boat called Júpiter, under the command of José Andía, owned by Juan Malo de Molina. Two more expeditions still take place a few years later, but the secularist policy of Carlos III permanently suspends the work undertaken in 1775.

The most notable of these expeditions was the writing of the "Diary" by Marine Máximo Rodríguez, which covers a period of 12 months and narrates many ethnological details of the Tahitians of the 18th century being the oldest and most complete document that is preserved in this sense. «They say that on the island of Todos los Santos (one of the Tahiti) they have many dogs and that they eat them and that they are the descendants of those who, at the beginning of the century XVII, Fernández de Quirós left there». Quirós wrote that on that island he nailed a cross and that same cross, very battered, was found by a Spanish expedition between 1774-1775.

British influence and the Pōmare dynasty

The Bounty riot.

On October 26, 1788, the British ship Bounty, led by Captain William Bligh, arrives in Tahiti with a mission to seize Tahitian breadfruit trees (Uru) and take them in large quantities to the Caribbean. Joseph Banks, the botanist of Cook's first expedition, indeed believes that this plant would be ideal for feeding the African slaves who work on Caribbean plantations at a lower cost. The crew remains in Tahiti for about 5 months, the time to transplant these trees in a convenient way. Three weeks after leaving Tahiti, on April 28, 1789, the crew mutinied at the initiative of Christian Fletcher.

The mutineers take over the ship and abandon the captain and faithful crew members in a boat. In an extraordinary feat, the captain and what remains of the crew, after a journey of thousands of kilometers, reach a Dutch colony in Southeast Asia, and from there Great Britain. A part of the mutineers returned to settle in Tahiti. While the scouts refused to participate in tribal conflicts, the Bounty mutineers offer their mercenary services and provide firearms to the family that will become the Pōmare dynasty.

The chief Tū knows how to take advantage of his presence on the favorite ports of the navigators. Thanks to the alliance with mutineers, he manages to considerably increase his supremacy over the island of Tahiti. Around 1790, the ambitious chief Tū takes the title of king and gives himself the name of Pōmare. Captain Bligh will explain that this name was a tribute to his eldest daughter, named like that, and who recently died of tuberculosis, a "disease that made her, especially at night (pō), cough a lot (mare) (Pōmare = cough a lot of evening). In 1791, Captain Bligh returns to Tahiti hoping to find mutineers. The new king Pōmare I hands over to the rebels taking refuge in Tahiti. The departure of Captain Bligh marks the end of the adventure of the Bounty mutineers on the island of Tahiti, but his presence will have marked Tahitian history in the long run. Another part of the mutineers will dodge the pursuit.

King Pōmare I.

Whalers' Ladders

In the year 1790, European whaling ships and crews began calling at Tahiti on their fishing campaigns in the Southern Hemisphere. The arrival of these whalers, followed by that of the merchants from the Australian penals, will be the first major upheaval in traditional Tahitian society. The crews introduce alcohol, weapons, and unknown diseases to the island, and encourage prostitution and the creation of distilleries. These early exchanges with Westerners have catastrophic consequences on the rapidly dwindling Tahitian population, ravaged by disease.

The first missionaries

King Pōmare II.

The first missionaries of the London Missionary Society landed at Point Venus (Mahina) on March 5, 1797, aboard the ship Duff, with the intention of destroying the Maohi cults and Christianizing the population. The arrival of these missionaries signals a new change of direction for the island of Tahiti, whose local culture and social structure is profoundly upended. The early years are hard for the missionaries, despite their association with King Pōmare, whose importance they know from the tales of previous navigators.

In 1803, on the death of Pōmare I, his son Vaira'atoa succeeded him and took the title of Pōmare II. He became even more associated with the missionaries, and since 1803 the latter taught him reading and the Gospels. On the other hand, the missionaries foster their will to conquer, in order to have to deal only with a single political interlocutor. Pōmare II's conversion to Anglicanism in 1812 inaugurated the development of Protestantism on the island. Around 1810, Pōmare II married Teremo'emo'e, daughter of the chief of Raiatea, to join the warlords of the Leeward Islands.

On November 12, 1815, thanks to these alliances, Pōmare II fought and won the decisive battle of Fe'i Pī (Punaauia), in particular, against Opuhara, the head of the powerful clan of Teva. This victory allows Pōmare II to be crowned as the Ari'i Rahi, that is, king of Tahiti. It is the first time that Tahiti is unified under the sovereignty of a single family. It is the end of feudalism and the Tahitian military aristocracy, replaced from then on by an absolute monarchy. In parallel, Protestantism spread rapidly thanks to the support of Pōmare II, and replaced traditional beliefs. Since 1817, the Gospels that are translated into the Tahitian language have been taught in religious schools.

In 1818, Pastor Crook founded the city of Papeete, which would be the capital of the island. The Tahitians dress in clothing according to the tastes of the missionaries (before, women like men only wore palm belts, fiber coats, flower crowns and ornaments). In 1819, Pōmare II, at the initiative of the missionaries, established the first code of Tahitian laws, known under the name of the Pōmare Code. The missionaries and Pōmare II then impose the obligation to wear garments that cover the entire body, the prohibition of dances and songs, of tattoos and flower ornaments, all these "impudent" traditions.

In the year 1820, Tahitians as a whole converted to Protestantism. Duperrey, who landed in Tahiti in May 1823, gives proof of the transformation of Tahitian society in a letter dated May 15, 1823: “The missionaries of the Royal Society of London completely changed the customs and habits of these inhabitants. Idolatry no longer exists among them and they generally profess the Christian religion. Women no longer come on board ships, they are even extremely reserved when they are found on land. (...) The bloody wars that this town waged and human sacrifices have not taken place since 1816. ”When Pōmare II passed away on December 7, 1821, his son Pōmare III was only one year old. His uncle and the religious then guarantee the regency, until May 21, 1824, the date on which the missionaries proceed to his coronation, an unprecedented ceremony in Tahiti. Taking advantage of the weakness of the Pōmare, the local chiefs regain a part of their power and take the hereditary title of "Ta'aventaron" (resulting from the English 'governor').

sculptures in marae of Arahurahu, Tahiti.

The missionaries also take the opportunity to modify the organization of powers, and to intercede so that the Tahitian monarchy resembles a constitutional monarchy on the English model. They thus create the Tahitian legislative assembly that functions for the first time on February 23, 1824. In 1827, the young Pōmare III dies suddenly, and it is his half-sister, Aimata, aged 13, who takes the title of Pōmare IV (1813 -1877). She first tries a return to the traditional society with the Mamaia sect, but fails. The Christian clan leaders (Ari) impose control of it according to the English consul, Pastor George Pritchard. During this period, the Bay of Papeete, the site of a mission in 1818, became the island's main anchorage; a small and active agglomeration develops in that place. Queen Pōmare's residence remains firstly at Arue, then at Tarahoi under Pōmare IV.

It is at that time that a French policy of expansion in the Pacific was developed, in order to limit the extension of British sovereignty, installed in Australia and taking control of New Zealand in 1840. Pastor Pritchard, At the same time consul of England, he becomes her main adviser and tries to interest her in the affairs of the kingdom. But the authority of the queen, less charismatic than her father, is challenged by the heads of the clans, who reconquered an important part of her prerogatives since the death of Pōmare II. The power of Pōmare IV became more symbolic than real, and on successive occasions Queen Pōmare, Protestant and Anglophile, made unsuccessful requests for Tahiti to be a protectorate of England.

The French Protectorate

In 1836, the Queen's counselor, Pastor Pritchard, expelled two French Catholic missionaries, Fathers Carrete and Father Laval. In reaction, France sent Admiral Abel Aubert Du Petit-Thouars in 1838 to obtain redress. Once the mission was completed, Admiral Petit-Thouars headed towards the Marquesas Islands, which he annexed in 1842 following the advice of Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout, a well-established French merchant and diplomat in those places.

Tahiti flag.

Between 1837 and 1839, the Chilean Ramón Freire lived on the island, being appointed in 1838 as the queen's ambassador to the French admiral Du Petit-Thouars and managed to keep the Queen's domains independent from the crown of Louis Felipe I of France. In August 1842, Admiral Petit-Thouars once again made a stopover in Tahiti. He then allied with heads of clans hostile to Queen Pōmare and favorable to establishing a French protectorate. He has them sign a petition for a protectorate in his queen's absence, before forcing the latter to ratify the Treaty of protectorat. Even before the Treaty is ratified by France, Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout is appointed as the Royal Commissioner to Queen Pōmare. Within the framework of this Treaty, France recognizes the sovereignty of the Tahitian State.

The Queen is responsible for internal affairs, while France directs foreign relations and ensures the defense and maintenance of order. With the signing of the Treaty of protectorate begins a struggle of influences between the English Protestants and the representatives of the French Republic. During the first years of the protectorate, the Protestants managed to maintain a great influence on Tahitian society, thanks to their knowledge of the country and their language. Since 1843, the queen's Protestant adviser, Pritchard, persuades her to fly the Tahitian flag instead of the flag of the protectorate.

In retaliation, the admiral of the Petit-Thouars declared the annexation of the kingdom of Tahiti to France on November 6, 1843, and appointed Armand Joseph Bruat as governor. The annexation then triggered the queen's exile to the Leeward Islands, and after a period of disorder, a true Franco-Tahitian war began in March 1844. In April 1844, the Tahitian resistance expanded and the Governor Bruat decides to counterattack en masse by sending all of his troops to Mahaena. It is in these combats that Lieutenant Nansouty was killed. The war ends in December 1846 in favor of the French. The queen returns from exile in 1847 and agrees to sign a new treaty that considerably reduces her powers in favor of those of the French governor. From then on, the French became owners of the kingdom of Tahiti. In 1863, they put an end to British influence by replacing the British Protestant missions with the Society of Evangelical Missions of Paris.

Queen Pōmare IV of Tahiti.

At the same time, about a thousand Chinese, mostly from Canton, are recruited at the request of a Tahitian grower, William Stewart, to work on the large Atimaono cotton plantation. When the company goes bankrupt in 1873, some Chinese workers return to their country, but an important group remains in Tahiti and mixes with the population. In 1866, the district councils were created, elected positions, to which the powers that the traditional hereditary chiefs had were assigned.

In the context of Republican assimilation, these councils try, despite everything, to protect the traditional way of life of the native Tahitians. But in a general way, these are years in which the traditional Tahitian society undergoes a severe crisis of transformation, where the old social structures recede under the missionary influence, and later by that of the republican laity. In 1877, Queen Pōmare passed away after fifty years of reign.

His son, Pōmare V, then succeeds to the throne. The new king shows little interest in the affairs of the kingdom, and when in 1880 Governor Chessé, backed by Tahitian leaders, urges him to abdicate in favor of France, he ends up accepting. Thus, on June 29, 1880, he ceded the kingdom of Tahiti to France as well as the other islands of the kingdom. Converted into a colony, Tahiti then loses all sovereignty. Tahiti is nevertheless a private colony, since all the subjects of the dynasty of the Pomares kings obtain French citizenship.

On July 14, 1881, during the French National Holiday, and under the cheers of “Long live the Republic”, the crowd celebrated Polynesia's belonging to France on the first Tiurai (national and popular holiday). In 1890, Papeete became a municipality of the Republic. In 1903, the French Departments (provinces) of Oceania were created, bringing together Tahiti, the other Society Islands, the Austral Islands, the Marquesas Islands and the Tuamotu.

Recent history

French painter Paul Gauguin lived in Tahiti between 1891 and 1901, drawing inspiration from Polynesian landscapes and patterns. In Papeari there is a small museum dedicated to Gauguin. The Catalan writers Aurora Bertrana and Josep Maria de Sagarra also spent some time in the 1920s and 1930s. They immortalized their experiences in various books, among which "Ocean Paradises stand out. . 4; (1930) and "The Blue Route" (1942).

The effects of the German bombing on 22/09/1914.

Since 1903, the political history of Tahiti is inseparable from that of the French Departments of Oceania. During this period, the development of the island of Tahiti and its capital, Papeete, accelerates. From 1903, Papeete became the main commercial center and emporium of the French Departments of Oceania; then in its political and administrative capital. The first quarter of the 20th century is characterized by a second wave of Chinese immigration.

This population in a short time goes from cheap labor to the commerce sector and integrates less than the first wave did. At the start of the First World War, on September 22, 1914, two German cruisers, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, intended to refuel in the port of Papeete. Faced with the resistance of the French navy led by Lieutenant Maxime Destremau, they sank a French ship, the gunboat Zélée, and bombarded the urban center of Papeete.

In November and December 1918, Tahiti was devastated by a 1918 flu epidemic. During World War II, the colony joined Free France in 1940 and Commander Félix Broche gathered several hundred volunteers to join the Free French Forces.

With the arrival of the Fifth Republic, at the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s, a decisive change was made for the economic development of the island. Tahiti is endowed with important infrastructures: construction, from 1958 of the Tahiti Fa' a', and the installation, in 1962, of the headquarters of the Pacific Experimentation Center (CEP), and the consecutive expansion of the port of Papeete. Filming the blockbuster "Motín del Bounty" with Marlon Brando contributes to the economic development of the island.

The French state also invests heavily in developing public facilities and services, which, combined with the breaking of the island's isolation, causes both a rural exodus to Papeete and a massive influx of population on the island. island. The tertiary sector is considerably strengthened in the capital. In 1977, Polynesia obtained an autonomy statute, reinforced in 1984 (internal autonomy statute).

In 1973, the Chinese of Tahiti received French nationality. Starting in the 1970s, a new cultural dynamic emerged on the island, with a revival of Tahitian culture, which refers to a "pre-colonial golden age." To re-engage with the cultural identity abandoned after the arrival of the missionaries, among numerous institutions and demonstrations, the following were created: the House of Youth and Culture (Fare Tahiti Dañar), the Tahitian Academy (Fare Vāna', founded in 1975), the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands (established in 1977).

Destroyed after the bombing of Papeete in 1914 by German ships under the command of Maximilian von Spee.

This renaissance is also expressed by the multiplication of archaeological excavations, craft exhibitions and the new development of the maohi tattoo from the 1980s. Similarly, the Heiva, each July, they bring back to honor traditional dances, games and sports.

Tahiti's growth was fueled by the decision to move French nuclear weapons testing from Algeria to the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls, some 1,500km to the east. This accelerated, in particular, the development of the city of Pappete, and of the only international airport in French Polynesia.

On September 5, 1995, the government of Jacques Chirac resumed the latest series of nuclear tests and detonations off the coast of Mururoa (also located in French Polynesia). This sparked violent riots for two days, which plunged the city into chaos. The protesters, mostly pro-independence, attacked mainly French interests, damaged the international airport, in addition to injuring 40 people and keeping tourists away for fear of riots. (Similar riots occurred after another French nuclear test in the same area in 1987.)

Since 2004, Tahiti, along with French Polynesia, has the status of overseas country.

Geography

the lagoon and coast of Papeete.

The island of Tahiti is located in the middle of the South Pacific. It is located about 4,400 km south of Hawaii, 7,900 km from mainland Chile and 5,700 km from Australia. The French island is more than 15,000 km from the French metropolitan territory, with a time difference of 11 hours in winter and 12 hours in summer. Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the Society Islands archipelago in southern Oceania. Historically it was also known as Otaheite. The capital is Papeete, located on the northwest slope of the island.

The island consists of two parts centered on extinct volcanoes and connected by a short arm of land, the Isthmus of Taravao. With a surface area of 1,042 km², it reaches a maximum length of 60 km (on the northwest-southeast diagonal, including the peninsula), and a width of 30 km in its main area.

The total perimeter of the island reaches 190 km. It is the most populous island in French Polynesia, with 69% of the total population. The highest point on the island is Mount Orohena, 2,241 meters high. The island is made up of two parts centered on extinct volcanoes and linked by the Taravao isthmus.

The northwestern part is called Tahiti Nui, or Great Tahiti, and the south-eastern part is Tahiti Iti, or Little Tahiti. Only the coastal strip is inhabited with a maximum penetration that does not exceed two kilometers. Tahiti Nui is densely populated, especially around the capital Papeete, and has good infrastructure and a strong influence from the French metropolis, while Tahiti Iti has remained more isolated, maintaining traditional Polynesian culture.

French is the official language and Tahitian, or reo mā’ohi, is recognized as a fundamental element of social cohesion and daily communication, free to use with co-official status.

Demographics

location of French Polynesia in the South Pacific.

Tahiti is the most populous of the French Polynesian islands. Thus, in the last census (2007), of the 259,706 inhabitants that Polynesia had, Tahiti had 178,173; which represented 69% of the population of the French Polynesian territory. The human occupation of the island is characterized, on the one hand, by the urban macrocephaly of Papeete, and on the other, by the opposition between a highly populated and equipped coastline, and an almost unoccupied interior of vast lands. Because of Papeete's centripetal pull, the density of the coastal habitat becomes less and less high as you move away from the metropolis.

The island is made up of 12 municipalities, which cut or unite the traditional districts. Of all the population centers, Papeete is the capital of Tahiti (administrative, political and economic center) and likewise, of French Polynesia. The homonymous municipality, extends for 19 km² and only houses 26,050 inhabitants and, although it has the highest population density on the island, it is actually the second most populous municipality on the island, after Faa'a.

The urban agglomeration of Papeete, which today includes the municipalities of Arue, Pirae and Mahina to the East; and from Faaa, Punaauia and Paea to the West, it concentrates more than 130,000 inhabitants, on a strip of land some sixty kilometers long, cradled between the lagoon and the mountainous foothills. The macrocephalic development of the capital implies the progressive absorption of the surrounding municipalities along the coast.

The municipality gathers 47% of the jobs and jobs on the island of Tahiti, and the urban agglomeration concentrates more than 80% of the jobs and workplaces, thus polarizing all human activity on the island.

Ethnologically, the human population of Tahiti is distributed into four different groups: the Polynesian, the European, the Chinese, and the "demis" or mestizos, resulting from miscegenation between some of the other groups.

The birthplaces of the 189,517 residents living on the island of Tahiti as of the 2017 census were as follows:

• 75.4 per cent was born in Tahiti (compared to 71.5 per cent of the 2007 census)
• 9.3 % in metropolitan France (compared to 10.9 % of 2007)
• 5.9% in the Society Islands (other than Tahiti) (compared to 6.4% of 2007)
• 2.8% in the Tuamotu-Gambier Islands (compared to 3.3% of 2007)
• 1.8% in the Marquise Islands (compared to 2.0 % of 2007)
• 1.6% in the Southern Islands (compared to 2.0 % of 2007)
• 1.3 per cent in the overseas departments and territories of France other than French Polynesia (1.0 per cent in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna; 0.3 per cent in other overseas departments and communities) (compared to 1.6 per cent in 2007)
• 0.5 per cent in East and South-East Asia (the same percentage as in 2007)
• 0.3 % in North Africa (most of them in overseas departments) (less than 0.4 % of 2007)
• 1.1 % in other foreign countries (under 1.5 % of 2007)

Black sand beach. Tahiti.

Climate

The climate of Tahiti is of the humid maritime tropical type, that is, warm and humid all year round. There are only two seasons: dry and wet, with rain from November to April. The duration of days and nights remains substantially constant throughout the year, regardless of the seasons.

In Tahiti, contrary to other islands of French Polynesia, this cycle is well marked, with more significant rainfall in the hot season than in the cooler season. The rains are important, in particular, during the months of December and January. It must be borne in mind that there is a climatic difference between the eastern part, which is upwind of the trade winds, and leaves, as a consequence, a more humid region. And the western part of the island, which is leeward of these winds, so it is drier.

It rains like this, on average, 3550 mm of water per year on the municipality of Hitia' which is on the eastern coast, while on the other side of the island, taking Puna'auia as an example, it only rains about 1500mm of water per year. In the same way, it rains even more on the mountainous heights of the island than on the coasts, since in the former, the humid winds that cross the island collide and discharge.

Average Papeete climate parameters, Tahitií
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	30.3	30.5	30.8	30.6	29.9	28.9	28.3	28.2	28.6	29.1	29.5	29.8	29.5
Temp. medium (°C)	23.4	23.5	23.5	23.3	22.5	21.2	20.8	20.5	21.0	21.9	22.6	23.1	22.3
Rains (mm)	315.2	233.0	195.3	140.8	92.0	60.2	60.5	48.0	46.3	90.8	162.1	317.0	1761.2
Hours of sun	215.5	199.2	226.0	230.3	228.6	220.0	235.2	251.1	241.6	232.1	208.7	196.6	2684.9
Source: NOAA

The tides

Tahitian coast.

They are of low amplitude. Tahiti is located on a resonance node of the lunar tide (amphidromic point) which completely cancels it. Only the tidal component due to the sun remains, which is much scarcer and synchronized with the star in question. Consequences: The change of tides is very little: the amplitude of the tide does not exceed 0.40 m., the tide is always low in the morning, high shortly after noon, low in the evening and high again in the middle of the night..

Cycles

Tahiti is located in an area where there are cyclone risks. Thus, in 1983, during Hurricane Veena, the winds reached more than 230 km/h and, in the space of 48 hours, 420 mm of water fell on the east coast of Tahiti.

Climate change

It is a regional trend and the existence of global warming has been verified, particularly in the "El Niño" episodes of December 2009, which was the most hot never measured in the Society Islands. The Faa'a airport weather station recorded an average of 29 °C for that month (the previous mark was 28.9 °C in March 1998). On December 31, there were 33.2 °C, a new record for a day in December; and in December 1990, 33.1 °C had already been reached.

Landscapes: Tahiti and Moorea

Monte Orohena or Aorai. Tahiti Island.

Tahiti is the highest island in Polynesia. It is in Tahiti Nui that the highest peak of the island is found: Mount Orohena, which culminates at 2,241 meters. Tahiti Nui is home to other peaks: Mount Aora'i (2,066 m), Mount Mārau (1,493 m) and Diadema -Te Tara o Mai'ao- (1,321 m).

As far as Tahiti Iti is concerned, its highest peak is Mount Ronui, which reaches 1,332 meters. Because of its extremely mountainous interior, a vestige of ancient volcanoes, the island is mostly inhabited on a narrow band that borders the sea. Thus, it is considered that of the 1045 km² of the island, only 150 km² are inhabited and exploited. Tahiti is partially surrounded by a barrier reef. Thus, 33 steps are counted, and a whole part of the reef is submerged, allowing, in certain areas, the formation of a true lagoon between the reef and the coast. The Tahiti lagoon covers an area of 141 km².

Moorea, the sister island, is located 15 km west of Tahiti and maintains close ties with it. It is perfectly visible from most municipalities in western Tahiti Nui and many Mooreans work in the Papeete agglomeration.

Politics and government

Assembly of French Polynesia in Tahiti

Tahitians are French citizens with full access to civil and political rights. Both the Tahitian and French languages are used by the island's inhabitants. Tahiti is part of French Polynesia (Polynésie Française), whose status is that of a semi-autonomous territory of France, with its own Assembly, President, budget and laws. The influence of the metropolis is limited to providing subsidies, education and security. The current President of French Polynesia, Édouard Fritch, is in favor of keeping the country within France. While 20% of the population is in favor of independence.

During a press conference in June 2006, in the framework of the second France-Oceania Meeting, President Jacques Chirac said he did not believe that the majority of Tahitians wanted independence. He went on to say that he would keep the door open for a possible referendum in the future, but without specifying when.

On May 23, 2004, elections were held for the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia.

In a surprising result, Oscar Temaru's pro-independence progressive coalition, Union for Democracy, formed a government with a one-seat majority in the 57-seat parliament, defeating the conservative party, Tahoera'a Huiraatira, led by Gaston Flosse. On October 8, 2004, Flosse managed to pass a motion of no confidence against the government, causing a crisis. A controversy then arose as to whether the national government of France should use its power to call new local government elections in the event of a political crisis.

Flora

Endowed with a rich but threatened flora, with 495 indigenous plant species (including 224 endemics), the island of Tahiti contributes much to the diversity of flora in the Polynesian archipelago (which has 959 indigenous species, including 560 endemics). Most of the endemic plants of the island are located in the heights of the Tahitian mountains, between 600 and 1500 m of altitude.

Cascada Vaimahuta, Tahiti.

Tahiti is experiencing, however, serious problems of biodiversity decline linked to urbanization, pollution, lack of water purification, overexploitation of fishing resources, and also the introduction of invasive species. Tahiti's biodiversity is threatened, in particular, by the invasion of Miconia calvescens, a veritable plant pest. Introduced to the island in 1937, it progressively colonized the humid and low-lying areas, and is now extending to the higher elevations, threatening more than 70 endemic plants on the island.

The Te Fa'aiti Natural Park was delimited and implemented in the year 2000, in order to contribute to the protection of Tahitian natural heritage. This protected park, which extends over 750 hectares, is situated in the Papeno'o valley.

The purpose of the park is not only to protect some indigenous or endemic species, to preserve ecosystems and landscapes, but also to preserve the cultural, archaeological and historical heritage of the valley. Notable places like Punta Venus and the black sand beaches; the Lavatubes; the Hole of the blower; the Vaihiria lake; the Fautaua Valley waterfall (28th in the list of the 50 highest waterfalls in the world); the natural slides of Fautaua and Maroto.

Archaeological heritage

Tahiti is home to important vestiges of pre-European civilization, such as: The Ta'ata marae, one of the most important on the island, restored in 1973. It also has the 'Ārahurahu marae, a place secondary worship restored in 1954; that of Mahaiatea, located on the ancient territory of Teva; that of Tahinue and the marae of Anapua.

Economy

Tahiti's economy, as the main center of French Polynesia, due to its characteristics, allows this French overseas community to be classified in the range of developed countries.

Tahiti concentrates the fundamental part of the economic activity of French Polynesia. The island's economy is characterized by the predominant part of the tertiary sector and the weight of non-commercial activities (administration, education and health, in particular). However, the island's economic activity is far from being summed up in these two sectors, since Tahiti is also the largest agricultural producer in French Polynesia, and is home to a large part of the territory's industry. Tourism and pearl cultivation are the main economic activities of these islands.

The territory's currency is the Pacific Franc (CPF Franc) whose parity is fixed in relation to the euro: €1 = 119.33 XPF. The euro is accepted in most transactions.

Market in Papeete. Tahiti Island.

Tahiti went from an economy typical of a colonial emporium to an economy that has progressed with the installation of the Pacific Experimentation Center (CEP), based on nuclear research. When the CEP ceased its activities, France signed the "Progress Pact" with the territorial government in order to compensate for the loss of financial resources. Initially it was planned for 10 years (1996-2006) and for an amount of about 1 billion French francs per year (around 150 million euros, or around 18 billion Pacific francs per year); this limit was subsequently extended and then persisted into 2010 in the form of three endowments.

The direct financial transfers from the metropolis to the French Polynesian community in 2006 corresponded, according to the French court of accounts, to 590 million euros: 232 million euros in the form of subsidies and 357 million euros through salaries of the teachers. By comparison the value of exports was 12.5 billion francs (of which 7.6 billion linked to pearls) in 2009.

The French State publishes each year the amount of State expenditure in French Polynesia: 179 billion francs in 2010, or 1.5 billion euros (around 34% of GDP or appreciably at the level of the end of the 1980s). This amount is essentially made up of teachers' salaries, the payment of pensions to State agents installed in the territory, the costs of state public services assumed by the Government of the Republic: Justice, Army, Security. No tax or levy is collected by the State in the territory.

The rate of compulsory levies (taxation and social levies) is therefore quite moderate but has increased considerably, going from 27% in 1995 to 38% of GDP in 2015, due in particular to the establishment of generalized social protection and the multiplication of public establishments.

The Franco-Polynesian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is about 1,598,200 CPF francs/inhabitant (source: ISPF 2006). The total GDP is 536 billion CFP (ISPF 2006) (in 1991 it was 330 billion CFP, but since 2006 the real GDP is in recession according to the evaluations carried out by the University of French Polynesia). Tahiti and all of French Polynesia are among the richest countries and territories in the South Pacific after Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.

Primary sector

Taravao plateau, in Tahiti, where 90% of the milk production of French Polynesia is produced.

The island of Tahiti is an essential center of food agriculture in French Polynesia. It is thus the main horticultural producer, in 2007, the island produced 79% of Polynesian vegetables (essentially taro, sweet potato and fe'i banana, and also salad tomato, cucumber, green cabbage and Chinese cabbage, etc.). Tahiti also participates in the copra sector through the Tahiti Aceiteria, located in Papeete, which buys all the Polynesian copra production to transform it into oil.

This organization, owned and subsidized by the territorial government, allocates the fundamental part of its production for export, and a part to the local manufacturers of Monoï de Tahiti with designation of origin: Mono'i. As for noni (Morinda citrifolia), which for a time was a source of great hope for the Polynesian economy, its production has been in free fall since 2005. Despite everything, the island of Tahiti still has some noni farms, especially the processing factory of the Morinda company, located in the municipality of Papara. In 2008, it treated 1,924 tons of noni, much lower than the 8,200 tons in 2005.

Tahiti is also the main livestock producer in all of Polynesia, in particular, cattle farming (2/3 of the production is located in Tahiti), egg production, chicken farming (the only Polynesian farm is located to Papara), and milk production (on the Taravao plateau).

In addition to its multiple food farms, the island is also a major producer of timber, which is exploited in the Papara sawmill. The cultivation of vanilla, previously concentrated in the Leeward Islands, gradually developed on the island.

Fishing represents a major sector of the economy. In 2008, the port of Papeete exported 402.2 tons of fish for an amount of 255.1 million CFP Francs. Since the 1990s, the Papeete fishing port, an integral part of the autonomous port of Papeete, has benefited from numerous public and private investments to develop its infrastructure. On the other hand, in order to support the sector, numerous fish concentration devices have been established around the island.

The cultivation of black pearls is also a substantial source of income. Most of the pearls are exported to Japan, Europe and the United States.

Paea Town Hall.

Secondary sector

Industry

In 2006, the industrial sector represented 9% of commercial GDP. It is essentially based on four poles:

• Agriculture sector,
• Naval construction,
• Works and intermediate goods for construction,
• Transformation activities (movable, textile industry, printing...)

Electrical energy

Tahiti produces (and consumes) about 77% of Polynesian energy production. 3/4 of Tahitian electricity is produced at the thermal power station located in the Punaruu valley, west of Tahiti; while the Vairaatoa plant, in the center of Papeete, serves as a support and reinforcement plant. The last quarter is produced by hydroelectric power. The Papenoo Valley dams provide more than 50% of the hydroelectricity produced on Tahiti.

The production of wind energy is non-existent.

Solar energy has begun to take off in recent years, especially in homes and individuals (solar heating-water, photovoltaic panels for self-production,...).

Tertiary sector

Tourism

A must-pass when arriving in French Polynesia, Tahiti is therefore the island most visited by tourists. The hotel capacity statistics also prove the weight of the island in the Polynesian tourism sector, since about 40% of hotel rooms in French Polynesia are located in Tahiti.

Heiva annual Cultural Festival in Papeete.

Thus, 91.4% of the tourists who went to Polynesia in 2004 visited the island of Tahiti (or 193,753 people); which have dropped to 81% in 2013. Because of this strong involvement in tourism, the island of Tahiti was severely affected by the crisis that this sector has been suffering for a few years. Between the years 2006 and 2013, the tourist frequency fell by around 28%, reaching 160,447 tourists in 2009; and 132,466 in 2013, its lowest level in 15 years. The closure of the Hilton Tahiti hotel for economic reasons in March 2010; and the closure of the Sofitel Maeva Beach and Manihi Pearl Beach Resort & EPA in 2012, prove the poor health of the sector.

The origin of the tourists (2009), was:

1. North America:
   1. United States
   2. Canada
2. France.
3. Western Europe:
   1. Italy
   2. Spain
   3. United Kingdom
   4. Germany.
4. Japan.
5. Oceania
   1. Australia:
   2. New Zealand
   3. New Caledonia.
6. South America:
   1. Brazil
   2. Chile
   3. Argentina.

Administration and Public Services

Tahiti is also the administrative center and capital of French Polynesia, where the vast majority of the territory's political and administrative institutions are located. The sector thus represents a preponderant part of the island. As a guide, the Public Administration employs 32.4% of the Polynesian active population and the French State participates in approximately 30% of the income of the GDP of French Polynesia.

The State and Territory are the most important patrons of the island and French Polynesia. In 2009, the territorial civil service, excluding public establishments, employed 5,841 public employees throughout Polynesia. As regards health, Tahiti hosts the main infrastructures. Thus, in 2007, of the 613 hospitalization beds in the Polynesian public sector, 480, representing 78.6%, were located on the island of Tahiti (including 436 in Papeete, in the territorial hospital center). The situation is even more pronounced in the private sector, since all the private hospitalization establishments are located in Tahiti, and more specifically in the urban agglomeration of Papeete. This concentration is possible due to the principle of territorial continuity, which allows the inhabitants of the other islands to have the cost of their journey paid by the Polynesian Social Security, when a medical consultation in Tahiti is necessary.

Culture

Tahitian women in a painting by Paul Gauguin, 1891.

French painter Paul Gauguin lived in Tahiti in the 1890s, capturing the island's landscapes and people in his works. Today, the Papeari villa has a small museum with works by Gauguin.

Tahiti has a university, the Université de la Polynésie Française.

Tahiti Heiva

There are many traditions existing in the Maohi culture. The island legends represent the history of the culture and the island, through numerous tales. The month of July is conducive to discovering these traditions since numerous cultural events are organized within the framework of the Heiva. The Heiva de Tahiti is the largest cultural festival in French Polynesia, and brings together song and dance competitions, as well as sports and craft competitions (copra preparation, braiding, etc.). The Heiva de Tahiti promotes and recalls the crafts of all the Polynesian archipelagos, through exhibitions and demonstrations. Every July, the Heiva Festival in Papeete celebrates Polynesian culture and the commemoration of the storming of the Bastille in France.

Marae de Ta'ata (Tahiti).

Recently, there has been strong pressure to revive the more traditional way of life of yesteryear and to rediscover cultural mores. Traditional musical instruments include the pahu, the toere (drums), and the vivo (a kind of nasal flute). Guitars and ukuleles were introduced by Europeans, but have been incorporated into local folklore that is quite similar to Hawaiian popular music, due to the fact that these are two cultures that are closely related in language and customs. The typical clothing for dancing (tamure) has reappeared in the life of the Polynesians, but, unfortunately, the art of making tapa (bark paper and clothing), Practiced throughout the Pacific, it is hardly used anymore.

The Museum of Tahiti and the Islands, created in 1974 and located in Punaauia, values and presents the Polynesian natural and cultural heritage. Thanks to its association with the Quai Branly museum, it participates in the international projection of Polynesian cultural heritage.

Languages

Although French is the only official language of French Polynesia, the vast majority of the population is bilingual, speaking both French and Tahitian (reo maohi). In general, Tahiti speaks a little more French and a little less Tahitian than the whole of Polynesia. This difference is mainly explained by the greater number of metropolitans and foreigners on this island. According to the 2007 census, 78.4% of the island's population speaks French in the family nucleus, while 20.1% uses a Polynesian language (generally Tahitian).

Catholic Cathedral of Papeete (Tahiti).

This average, however, hides a more contrasting reality. Thus, Tahitian is spoken even more on the eastern slope of Tahiti Nui (municipality of Hitia'a O Te Ra) and on the peninsula (municipalities of Tai'arapū-East and Tai'arapū-West), where it is used colloquially by 35% of the population. If in Tahiti, Tahitian is no longer the first language used in the family environment, it is still widespread. Indeed, although 16.5% of the island's population has no knowledge of the language, Maohi reo is perfectly known by 70% of Tahitians, and can be spoken by nearly 80%.

Religion

The Polynesian population has been and is very religious. From the 19th century it passed from traditional Ma'ohi cults to different forms of Christianity at the initiative of both Protestant and Protestant missionaries (from 1797); as Catholics (circa 1830).

Specifically, on the Island of Tahiti, 47% of the population belong to various Protestant groups; are Catholics (38%) and the rest is shared between the "sanitos" (or Community of Christ), Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses

Of the ancient Ma'ohi cults, stone vestiges (marae and tikis) continue to be preserved, as well as habits and beliefs that are still alive.

Death

Tahitians believed in an afterlife, in a paradise called Rohutu-no'ano'a. When a Tahitian died, the corpse was wrapped in bark cloth and placed in a coffin, fare tupapa'u, which was a canoe canopy raised on poles surrounded by bamboo. Food was placed for the gods to prevent them from eating the body, which would condemn the spirit to the underworld. Mourners slashed at each other with shark teeth and smeared the blood on bark cloth placed nearby.

Most importantly, the chief mourner donned the parae, an elaborate costume that included an iridescent mask made from four polished pearl shell discs. One of the disks was black, signifying Po, the world of spirits, while the other was white, signifying Ao, the world of people. A crown of red feathers meant 'Gold'. A curved wooden board, pautu, under the mask contained five polished pearl shells, signifying Hina, the goddess of the moon. Below hung more shells in rows, ahu-parau, representing the Pleiades, believed to be the eyes of ancient chiefs. Finally, a ceremonial outfit, tiputa, covered the body and was decorated with an apron of polished coconut shells, ahu-'aipu.

Dance

One of the best-known activities on the island is the famous Tahitian dance. The ʻōteʻa, sometimes written as otea, is a traditional Tahitian dance, in which dancers stand in several rows and perform various figures. Easily recognizable by the rapid movement of the hips and the straw skirts, this dance is often confused with the Hawaiian hula, a generally slower and more graceful dance that focuses more on the movements of the hands than on the hips.

Dancers playing Tahitiana Dance

The ʻōteʻa is one of the few dances that already existed in pre-European times as a male dance. On the other hand, the hura (hula in Tahitian), a dance for women, has disappeared, as has the 'upa'upa couple dance, but may have re-emerged as tāmūrē. Today, however, the ʻōteʻa can be danced by men (ʻōteʻa tāne), by women (ʻōteʻa vahine), or by both sexes (ʻōteʻa ʻāmui).

The dance is accompanied only by the music of the drums, but not by singing. The drum may be one of several types of tōʻere, a wooden log supported with a longitudinal groove, struck with one or two sticks. Or it may be the pahu, the ancient Tahitian drum covered in sharkskin and played standing up with the hands or sticks. The rhythm of the tōʻere is fast, that of the pahu slower. A small drum, the faʻatētē, is also used.

Dancers make gestures, evoking the daily occupations of life. In the case of men, the chosen themes can be war or navigation; then spears or oars may be used.

For women, the themes might be home or nature, hair styling or the flight of a butterfly, for example. But other elaborate themes can also be chosen, for example the one in which the dancers define a map of Tahiti, highlighting the important places. In a true ʻōteʻa the narrative plot should permeate the entire dance.

Sports

The most popular sports in Tahiti are generally the same as in the rest of French Polynesia. The va' type canoeing (Polynesian canoeing) and soccer are highlighted mainly. In the Pacific Games and in FIFA, French Polynesia is recognized as "Tahiti" or "Tahiti Nui".

The country hosted the Pacific Games, when they were called the South Pacific Games, on two occasions: 1971 and 1995. Furthermore, it is the country that has won the second most medals in the history of the competition.

Rugby fifteen is also a very popular sport in Tahiti, to the point that there are 15 teams and a national team that play international matches.

The competitions have been derived from many Polynesian sports of the past, such as canoe racing (va'a), which is certainly one of the most traditional. The most important of these competitions is the Hawaiki Nui Va& #39;a.

The most important of these competitions is the Hawaiki Nui Va'a, which is held annually in late October and early November. This big race lasts three days and 50 teams leave Huahine and arrive in Bora Bora. Another of the most important races takes place during the Heiva festival in July, and consists of crossing the channel between Tahiti and Moorea, turning around and returning to Tahiti.

Another very famous autochthonous sport is surfing; in fact, James Cook, in his book Captain James Cook's Explorations of 1769, states that this sport was practiced on the island. At that time, there were already three types of boards and surfing was practiced on private beaches according to the rules established by the aristocracy. In the southwest of the island of Tahiti, near the town of Teahupo'o (17°83 S, 149°67 W), is one of the most famous and also most dangerous places in the world, where the Billabong Pro Tahiti is held once a year: the best surfers in the world compete in the waves created by the reef, which can exceed 15 meters in height.

The fruit carrier race is very spectacular and popular with the locals and takes place on the streets of Papeete during the Heiva. The carriers run for 2 km carrying a bamboo stick at the ends of which are 2 loads of fruit totaling 50 kg. The race is held in the streets of Papeete during the Heiva.

Also during the Heiva festival, several athletes can be seen climbing 20m coconut palms in the shortest time possible with their feet tied by a vine.

Football

Spain vs Tahíti football match in the 2013 Confederations Cup

The Tahitian national soccer team won the 2012 OFC Nations Cup and represented Oceania at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they were defeated 6-1 by Nigeria, 10-0 by Spain and 8-0 at hands From Uruguay. That same year, the Beach Soccer World Cup was organized in the country, in which the Franco-Polynesian team finished in fourth place. Two years later, in 2015, they were runners-up after losing the final to Portugal 5-3.

The Tahiti First Division was founded in 1948 and since then the club that has won the most titles has been AS Central Sport, with 20 crowns.

Tahiti has also had success in beach soccer: at the 2015 World Beach Soccer Championships it finished second, while two years earlier it came fourth.

Communications and transportation

Air transportation

Air Tahiti Nui aircraft.

The island is served by Faa'a International Airport, located 5 km southwest of Papeete. Opened in 1961, it is the most important airport in French Polynesia, and the only international airport in the territory. It is therefore the main point of entry for the vast majority of visitors but also for the inhabitants of the other islands of French Polynesia. Tahiti's airport played a key role in breaking the isolation of the island (and the rest of the territory) and the development of tourism. It guarantees connections with a dozen international destinations: Los Angeles, Paris, Auckland, Tokyo, Rarotonga, Santiago de Chile, Rapa Nui, Nouméa and Honolulu. The centralization of the air network thus accentuates the attraction and influence of Tahiti and the agglomeration of Papeete on the rest of the Polynesian islands.

Tahitian airline: Aware of the importance of international airlines in the economic development of the island and the country, the Government inaugurated its own airline in 1998: Air Tahiti Nui (ATN), which today serves 4 destinations a Starting from Tahiti: Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Auckland. As for inland air navigation, the airport serves all the Polynesian archipelagos. Air Tahiti is the only company that regularly provides services to the Polynesian islands, guaranteeing the connection with forty islands and atolls. The island of Moorea is a 7-minute flight from Tahiti.

Sea transport

The autonomous port of Papeete is the only international port that serves all the islands of French Polynesia. It is dedicated to both international transport and internal transport. More than 1,900,000 tons/year are transported through its facilities. Maritime transport in French Polynesia is also centralized in Tahiti and in particular in the port of Papeete. The connections are guaranteed by cargo ships called "schooners" whose main mission is to transport cargo to the islands. These maritime services are carried out in loops, systematically from Tahiti.

For the transport of passengers, the only regular maritime service is the Tahiti-Moorea line, guaranteed several times a day by catamarans and ferries. The Aremiti company and the Moorea Development Company both provide services for the transport of people and goods between Tahiti and Moorea. By catamaran, the crossing takes about half an hour. For the other islands, some cargo ships accept passengers, but they are reserved mainly for cargo.

Port of Papeete. Tahiti Island.

Road network

The road network consists mainly of a coastal road, which goes around Tahiti Nui, forming a true belt road. This coastal highway is adjacent to numerous roads and service roads, public and private, that connect the different residential areas. However, due to the absence of alternative roads, the passage through the coastal road is essential for all travel. This imposes the coexistence of numerous means of transport (cars, bicycles, pedestrians) on a road with dense traffic.

Due to the linear development of the urban core, and the concentration of work centers in the municipality of Papeete, the road network is saturated, particularly on the western coast, marked by significant traffic jams. On this part of the coast, the road network has been completed by sections of fast lanes in order to lighten the circulation of the belt, but this is not enough to effectively guarantee traffic and mobility.

The weaknesses of the road network thus pose two main problems: significant traffic jams that lengthen the daily journey time (in particular, home-work journeys) and significant road insecurity (3 to 4 times higher than that of the metropolis French). Since 2010, the Monoï road, the first tourist road in Polynesia, offers a tourist route on the monoï theme all year round. In Tahiti Iti, the peninsula adjacent to Tahiti Nui, there is also a coastal highway both to the east and west, however this is not finished and goes around the peninsula.

Public transport

The "Truck", (from the English “truck”), which is a truck transformed for collective transport, was the traditional means of transportation for a long time. On the chassis of the truck, a wooden structure painted in bright colors was mounted, and equipped with side seats and plexiglass windows. These vehicles accommodated between 12 and 40 passengers. With the times, the evolution of the legislation implied the substitution of the "truck" by approved buses, being able to accommodate forty people.

Most of the lines connect the area around the Papeete market to the other municipalities of the island. Despite the various attempts to modernize public transport, the network is poorly structured and is managed in an artisanal way: lines are illegible, irregular schedules and stoppages, absence of collectors.