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The French Polynesia
Concentration and interbreeding: 
According to the data collected by the
ISPF (Statistical Institute of French Polynesia), at the time
of the last population census (November 2002), Tahiti and
its islands would count 245 405 inhabitants. However, a significant
concentration phenomenon is remarked as 75% among them stay
to the Ile du Vent (Tahiti, Moorea), the urban area of the
capital Papeete (strip of about 40-km long), draining to it
only more than 127 600 inhabitants.
This population displays a significant growth, valued to +
11,8% since the last census of 1996. An evolution which is
the result at the same time of a natural demographic increase
but also of a positive migratory balance (equipment of the
state official retired).
Multiethnic, the population of Tahiti and its islands gather
some Polynesians (83% of whom 20% about "half" or
half-caste), of the Europeans (12%, essentially metropolitan)
and of the Chinese (5%, community whose implantation carries
up at the end of the XIXth century).
The religion influence and "westernization" 
In this society, the religion holds an important place. The
Protestant are henceforth majority (about45%), followed by
the Catholics (34%) then, in a least measure, by the Mormon,
Adventists of the 7th day, sanito… The churches lead
some youth organizations and play a dominating role in the
social and political life. Otherwise, the demographic analyses
highlight a phenomenon known" of westernization"
(elongation of the life span, reduction of the number of children
per family, etc.)That the customs evolution tends to confirm,
through a rise in power of the consumption society.
In the same way, if a big part of the Polynesians converses
again between them in Reo ma'ohi the French to the official
use, its current practice tends to be lost to the youngest.
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Tahiti and its islands spread on a maritime surface of four
millions of km2 as vast that Europe. However, the emerged
lands represent only 4 000 km2 which shares 118 islands, divided
in five archipelagos: the Marchioness (to the North), the
islands of the Society and the Tuamotus (to the centre), the
Austral (to the South) and the Gambier (to the Southeast)
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Some volcanic high islands and atolls
coralliens
The large public, of this territory  overseas
connected to France, don’t knows well often that Tahiti
(archipelago of the Society, group of the Iles du Vent) and
Bora Bora (group of the Iles Sous-Vent), so much these islands
remains mythical. However, each archipelago offers a particular
face according to its situation (of 5 to10 ° of the south
latitude by the Marchioness to the Tropic of the Capricorn
for the Gambier), or depending on whether which shelters some
high islands of volcanic origin (Society, Marchioness, Austral,
either in the total 35 islands) or some atolls coralliens
(Tuamotu and Gambier, either 83 atolls).
High island of which Papeete is the capital, Tahiti is the
vast (more than 1000 km2), and the most populated (127 000
inhabitants).
In the centre of the Pacific 
This vast unit is not less tiny so much it appears
lost, in the full Pacific. It is sufficient to observe a terrestrial
sphere to be convinced it. Not a continent with less than
5700 km - Australia - and a mother homeland, France, nearly
situated in the Antipodes, to 17 000 km. Star dust distant
of the big economic and political poles, Tahiti and its islands
before are quite characterized by their isolation. Many islands
account only some hundreds even few tens of inhabitants and
about forty among them remain uninhabited.
This geographical isolation proves to be a vector asset of
exoticism and dream by the tourist attraction which it liberates
and the natural environment preserved to these islands. In
addition, the development of the new technologies (Internet,
satellite television …) contributes more and more to
join Tahiti and its islands to the rest of the world. The
infrastructure level of sanitary, education, transport and
the equipment rate (car, data processing, electrical…)
make this Territory seemingly isolated, one of the most modern
southern Pacific.
The islands and atolls formation:
All islands of the French Polynesia are of volcanic
origin. The whole Territory rests indeed on a plate coming
from the East and moving toward the Northwest at the rate
of 11cm per year to plunge then under the Eurasian plate.
On this plate situated to more than 4000 m of bottom appearance
two types of volcanos: the oldest among them dating of more
than 40 to 60 millions of years as those of the Tuamotus and
the other resulting from the displacement of one stationary
hot point in a south-eastern/north-eastern direction like
Mac Donald, always active, which is at the origin of the south.
Once created, the islands are submitted to different phenomenons
that are going to transform them in low island or atoll: the
erosion and the recession. This last is related to the plate’s
cooling and the one of the corals pushing to its periphery.
The Polynesian triangle
It consists of the Pacific islands having been populated successively
by the Polynesians navigators: the Marchioness, Hawaii, The
island of Easter and New Zealand. These populations shared
thus the same linguistic and cultural roots, and possessed
traditions, culinary uses and mythology counterparts. The
archipelago of the Marchioness was the first to have been
populated of Polynesians by the 3rd century of the Christian
era. The first occupants of the Hawaii islands (4 500 km to
the North of Tahiti) would be the Marchionesses that there
accosted between 500 and 800 years after J.C while sailing
to the stars. These last met then the American continent which
marked the end of their exploration of the Pacific East. They
discovered by their return New Zealand (toward the year 800)
that they named "Aotearoa" (the country of the long
white cloud). Finally, the Marchionesses populated the island
of Easter (Rapa Nui) situated to 4000 km in the Southeast
of the Marchioness.
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Which are they, from where they come,
where they go?
Who are the Polynesians and how they arrived
at Tahiti and its islands before becoming, at the time of
colonization effect, French citizens? Three key periods can
be identified: the before" contact" Polynesia with
the foreign navigators, the colonizer era and the confrontation
with modernity at the implantation time of the CPE (Centre
of the Pacific experimentation), charged to conduct the French
nuclear tests, from the years 60.
Upon large dugouts…
In general the henceforth theory admitted
situates in Southeast Asia the origin of the vast migrations
which having involved, three or four thousand years ago, the
Pacific’s population by the Polynesian populations.
Using double dugouts (with veil) in woods and plaited fibers,
these first audacious navigators, thanks to their knowledge
to wind, currents and stars, travelled toward the East, colonizing
the centre archipelagos (Cook, Tahiti and its islands...)
between 500 after J.C and 500 before J.C).
These great expeditions finished about 1000 before. J.C result
the" Polynesian triangle" composed by Hawaii (to
the North), the Easter Island (to the East), Tahiti and its
islands (to the west) and New Zealand (to the Southwest).
The various languages used to these islands result from the
ma'ohi language testify the common origin of their inhabitants.
The arrival of Europeans and the colonization
In the XVIth century Magellan, then Mendana
reach respectively the Tuamotu and the Marchioness archipelago.
However, it is the English Samuel Wallis who remains link
to the memory of the Tahiti European discovery (1767). The
following year, the French Antoine du Bougainville baptizes
this island" la nouvelle Cythère ". One year
after, the English James Cook disembarks there on his turn
and takes possession to some Society’s Islands.
Then Tahiti and its islands were divided in several chefferies
and kingdoms and the Polynesian cosmogony counted different
divinities. Little by little, the Protestant and Catholic
missionaries are going to evangelize the islands, whereas
toward 1797, with the help of Europeans, one of the heads
succeeds to affirming his supremacy and create the" Pomare
dynasty ". 
In the XIXth, Tahiti and its islands are at a time the place
of a French-English religious commercial and strategic rivalry.
In 1842, the French protectorate is finally signed with the
queen Pomare IV (on Tahiti and Moorea), then the annexation
accepted in 1880 by Pomare V, last king of Tahiti.
Nevertheless, the Europeans implantation in these islands
until there isolated didn't make itself smoothly (franco-tahitien
conflict from 1844 to 1846) and without damage: the increasing
of alcoholism, acculturation generated by the Puritanism of
the missionaries that forbade the practice of such traditional
arts like the dance or the tattoo, devastations provoked by
the beginning of infectious illnesses. At the time of Cook,
the population of Tahiti rose to 70 000 inhabitants. The following
days of protectorate, they were only 8 500...
During the First and the Second World War (Tahiti will rally
to the Free France), many islanders left to shoulder the French
troops.
In 1958, the OFE (the Oceania’s French Establishments)
become the French Polynesia.
Propulsion in modernity
The years 1960 mark a turn for Tahiti and its islands which,
quickly, will be propelled in modernity, with the opening
of the track of the international airport of Tahiti-Faa'a
(1960) and the implantation of the CPE (Centre of the Pacific
experimentation) in 1963. This year, some 5000 soldiers, legionnaires
and technicians disembark to Tahiti. The first atomic explosion
takes place in Moruroa (the Tuamotu’s Archipelago) and
the new infrastructures of the autonomous Port of Papeete,
the only international port of Tahiti and its islands are
finished to 1966.
This decade, also marked by the first tourist wave (implantation
of the first Mediterranean Club to Moorea in 1962) and the
institution of a social protective case (be in charge to the
health expenses) for the aim to transform the economic and
social web: influx of the islands inhabitants to Tahiti, development
of the local enterprises and the tertiary sector, raise of
the living standard, discovery and confrontation of an great
consumption society.
www.tahiti.com
Chronology :
From - 3000 / - 4000 before J.C. start of
settlement in the south pacific coming from the Asian Southeast.
• IIIth - VIth century: first implantations of men to
the Marchioness.
• From 850 to 1000: from the Marchioness, colonization
of the îles-sous le-vent, of Hawaii, Cook’s islands,
Easter Island and of the New Zealand.
• 1521: Magellan discovers a part of the Tuamotus
• 1595: Alvaro of Mendaña discovers the Marchioness.
• 1767: Arrived from Wallis to Tahiti
• 1768: Bougainville baptizes this island of New Cythere
• 1769: First journey of Cook in Tahiti.
• 1768: Arrived from Bougainville in Tahiti. He takes
possession of Society Islands.
• 1774: Cook brings back in Europe a Tahitian, Pa'i.
• 1773: 2nd journey of Cook in Tahiti.
• 1777: Last journey of Cook to Polynesia.
• 1788 - 1791: the Bounty’s mutiny.
• 1793: Start of the Pomare dynasty.
• 1797: Arrived of the first missionaries of the "London
Missionary Society".
• 1797: Creation of the Pomare dynasty.
• 1815: The Polynesian chiefs lose the battle of Fei
Pi. Pomare II converts to Christianity.
• 1819: Pomare II created the Pomare’s Code.
• 1836: The English Protestant gets the French missionaries
expulsion.
• 1841: Dupetit Thouars proclaims the French protectorate
against Tahiti, initiative ratified by the United Kingdom.
• 1844 -1847: the Franco Tahitian War.
• 1847: Pomare IV accepts the protectorate of France.
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