Geography:
The islands of French Polynesia have a total land area of 4,167 km2(1,622 sq. miles) scattered over 2,500,000 km2(965,255 sq. miles) of ocean. French Polynesia consists of the island of Tahiti and 117 other islands and atolls. The island can be divided into 4 groups: the 14 Community islands, the 11 Marquises Islands, the Austral islands and the Tuamotu-Gambrier Archipelago.



People:
Population:

The Maohi, the indigenous people of French Polynesia, and the Demis, a mix of Polynesian and European descent, form 83% of the region's 266,339 inhabitants (2004 census). 12% of the population is European while the remainder is Asian, mostly Chinese. Tahiti has the largest population of all the French Polynesian islands with the number of inhabitants reaching 140,000. The population density is 64 people per square kilometer.

Language:

The official languages are Tahitian and French. Tahitian is an Eastern Malayo-Polynesian language which resembles Hawaiian and Rarotongan.

Culture and religion:

Polynesian legends originate in ancient polytheist beliefs. Polynesians had several gods: Taaroa, Tane, Tu, Oro, Hiro. Their adventures were told through legends, of which only an oral tradition remains. The only tangible records are found in archeological sites. Several ancient worshiping sites have been discovered; called The marae Gods were worshipped there and it was also a place where societal decisions were made, like conflict resolution, naming of the chiefs and religious sacrifices.

There were several kinds of marae, some for family ceremonies (births, deaths, etc.), other were royal marae for major ceremonies bringing several islands together. Marae featured an area paved with stones and bordered by a small wall, sometimes with steps, an area reserved for the priests (the ahu) at one end and surrounded with standing stones, at the center of the platform used as back rests for the chiefs.

The missionaries did all they could to wipe out traditional Polynesian culture by leveling temples, destroying carvings and local customs. The missionaries sought to make the Polynesians follow the teachings of the Good Book and their own autocratic commandments, but fortunately some of the traditional ways survived.

Recently there has been a strong push to revive old ways and rediscover traditional arts. Traditional musical instruments include pahu and toere drums and the curious nose flute called a vivo.

Guitars and ukuleles made their way into Polynesia and the locals developed a unique song style that owes much to country & western music in form but has a distinctive South Pacific island groove. Customary dancing (tamure) has slowly made its way back into French Polynesian life, but, sadly, the art of making tapa (bark paper and cloth), practiced throughout the Pacific, has all but disappeared.

French Polynesia is generally an easygoing society - dress standards are relaxed even in the classiest restaurants and beachwear is often just from the waist down. The Polynesian concept of family is very broad, encompassing cousins, uncles, aunts and are called fetii.

Christianity is the biggest religion in French Polynesia. 54% of the inhabitants are Protestants, 30% are Roman Catholics. The remaining 16% have other beliefs or no religion.

Economy:

French Polynesia has a moderately developed economy, which is dependent on imported goods, tourism and the financial assistance of France. Tourist facilities are well developed and are available on the major islands. Tourism is the largest sector of the domestic economy and French Polynesia's biggest foreign income earner. Black pearls are the next biggest source of income and fishing and fisheries are the fastest growing sectors of the economy.
The legal currency of French Polynesia is the Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc.

Environmental problems:

The islands are a mixture of volcanic high islands and coral atolls. The high islands have rich, fertile soil and support a much wider diversity of vegetation than the atolls. The environment and people health have suffered as a result of the nuclear tests. The exact effects of the French nuclear tests will not be known for years. France's nuclear testing in the South Pacific, especially in Moruroa, has inflicted long-term environmental damage to the geographical structuring of the atoll.

History:

Almost 2300 years ago, the Maohi arrived on the coast of what is now known French Polynesia, where they lived without external influences until the 18th century. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Marquesas Islands were settled by 300 AD by Polynesians from Tonga and the Samoa Islands.

The western portion of the Society Islands was probably inhabited by 800 AD. Significant European contact in the region began in 1767, when British explorer Samuel Wallis came upon what is now Tahiti. French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville followed soon after and British explorer Captain James Cook arrived in 1769. Cook named Tahiti and called its surrounding islands the Society Islands after his sponsor, Britain's Royal Society.

When, in 1842, France seized control of Tahiti Island from the Maohi Queen Pomare IV it promised to bring "peace and civilization". An 1880 treaty reiterated the promise to protect the peoples, their lands and cultures in exchange for the right to administer a government. In that year the islands became a French colony.

In the early 20th century the port town of Papeete grew as the main economic, administrative, and religious center for the region. Although located very far from World War I's battlefields, the Polynesians suffered the assaults of the German fleet, which in Papeete met with their resistance. In 1916, more than 1,000 Polynesians joined the fighting on the Orient, Champagne and Marne battlefronts.

During World War II (1939-1945) the island of Bora Bora, in the Society Islands, became a refueling station for United States forces. American influence helped inspire French Polynesian nationalism and the desire for more cultural, economic, and political freedom. The region was renamed French Polynesia in 1945 and assigned the status of Territoire d'Outre-Mer (overseas territory). At that time, the Maohi were granted French citizenship.

The Maohi managed to remain relatively self-sufficient despite French control, depending mainly on their traditional lifestyle for their livelihood. However, this changed drastically when France moved its nuclear testing program from Algeria to French Polynesia in 1960. The construction of the Centre d'experimentation du Pacifique (CEP), France's nuclear testing center, began in 1963 and has been under the protection of the French military. Since the commencement of operations in 1966, 180 nuclear tests have been conducted. (IPB News, March 1997) Following a three-year moratorium, the French government recommenced testing in 1995.

By signing the 1996 Treaty of Rarotonga, the French promised to permanently discontinue nuclear testing and make the Pacific a nuclear-free zone. The commitment of France to stop the testing was a major victory for the indigenous Maohi, as well as for environmental organisations worldwide. France acknowledged there have been leakages of Iodine 31, a toxic waste that is realized with nuclear testing. France claims, that these leakages are so small that they do not pose a health or environmental hazard.

With support of the World Council of Churches, the local Protestant church and Hiti Tau, an investigation was set up into the consequences of the nuclear testing. After more than 150 separate tests of up to 200 kilotons (10 times more powerful than the bomb which leveled Hiroshima) the dust has once again settled around the atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa, though the longer-term effects remain unclear.

In 2004, French Polynesia was granted more autonomy from France, when its status was changed from a French overseas territory to a French overseas country. However, the issue of independence is still prominent. French Polynesia has a unique voting system, dividing the country in six constituencies, of which one, the Windward Islands (Tahiti and Moorea), comprises more than two-thirds of the country's population of about 250,000. Accordingly, 37 assembly members out of a total of 57 are elected from that constituency.

This makes the upcoming "by-election" almost as important as a general election in all constituencies.
The peculiarity of the voting system, however, is the one-third-of-seats bonus for the party with the highest number of votes. The leading party thus receives 12 out of the 37 seats in the constituency; no matter what size its percentage is, while the other 25 are then distributed proportionally to all parties.

Elections in May 2004, brought a coalition of independents and pro-independence legislators to power, and Oscar Temaru, of the pro-independence Union for Democracy, became territorial president. Temaru's coalition lost a no-confidence vote in October 2004, and Gaston Flosse, long-time leader of the government, was returned to power. The change led to political tensions in French Polynesia. At the same time, the French State Council called for rerunning the balloting for nearly two thirds of the seats. The February 2005, re-vote enabled Temaru to form a new coalition, and he again became territorial president.


Organizations:
The Maohi people are represented through Hiti Tau, an umbrella organisation of Maohi (non- governmental) organisations from the islands of French Polynesia. It deals with political issues as well as economical, social and environmental matters. Its mission was to bring together the indigenous Maohi people in their struggle for the recognition of their universal rights, sustainable development and the right to a non-nuclear homeland. Hiti Tau literally means Stand up and make a change.

Statistics: