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The volcanic islands and atolls of French Polynesia lie scattered around like so many gemstones against the perfect blue of the South Pacific, girdled by underwater reefs that teem with the myriad hues of coral polyps and marine creatures. The first impression of the French Polynesian islands is of a garden paradise, where everything is ever so lush and ripe, the air redolent with the fragrance of frangipani and hibiscus and the sweet, heady aroma of vanilla and pineapple.

Mountains and volcanoes, deep green rainforests and black sandy beaches, waterfalls and lagoons – the landscape of French Polynesia is as varied as the people are charming. Welcome to the “Islands Beyond the Ordinary” – Mecca for holidaymakers, Eden for honeymooners. The island of love, surfer’s paradise and beach bums delight, a living laboratory for anthropologists and marine biologists, the most beautiful place in the world – Welcome to French Polynesia.

It’s common to put a fragrant white flower behind one’s ear -- left side signifies you’re taken, right if you’re looking!

Tahitians are very friendly, but somewhat shy. Greet a Tahitian with a first smile or "ia ora na" (hello), and they will reciprocate two fold by showering you with warm Tahitian hospitality.

The native people of Tahiti have the whitest teeth on earth and it is natural. Put it down to their diet which is rich in fluoride!

Black pearls are only found in Toumotu Islands and are valued by natives and visitors alike.

Historically Speaking

The history of the islands begins with the intrepid sailors and navigators who crossed wide expanses of open uncharted oceans to distant shores almost 3000-4000 years ago. Some of these sailors came in dugout canoes and rafts to the islands of the South Pacific - present-day French Polynesia. The original homeland of these early sailors and their exact arrival in Polynesia remains a matter of debate but their presence can be traced back to circa 300 AD.

Amongst the early Europeans to come to the Polynesia, were Samuel Wallis (1767), Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1768) and Capt. Cook (1769), who returned home to their respective countries with glorified tales of the 'noble savage', beautiful women and an innocence that was soon to be lost as missionaries and evangelists hurried over to the islands bent on reforming, civilizing and saving those "lost souls". When the Europeans arrived in Polynesia, they found it to be a society of different clans ruled over by powerful chieftains but no one king. The Polynesians chiefs soon realized that true power rested with that chief who had the European and his weapons on his side and so began an era of internecine warfare with different European nations playing power brokers.

This change was most evident when the mutineers of HMS Bounty sold themselves as mercenaries to the chiefs. The Pomares, one of the powerful Tahitian families gained supreme control over most of the islands with the backing of the mutineers. The influx of foreigners to Polynesia grew as missionaries, whalers and traders came over bringing with them western culture and western diseases that were to sound the death knell of traditional Polynesian culture and the Polynesians themselves. Protestant missionaries converted the islanders and destroyed the last remnants of an ancient culture - temples were razed, dance and music and native clothes declared heathen and soon Polynesia was devoutly Christian. The French ousted the British from the islands and by 1842 Queen Pomare IV was left as nominal ruler of Polynesia. The islands became a French colony and soon after that, a French Pacific Settlement.

Rapid commercialization of the islands was the order of the day under the French who brought in labour from China to work on the vanilla and cotton plantations. Copra, pearling and mother-of-pearl production became the mainstay of the French Polynesian economy. The Second World War saw the islands play an important role as base for the American forces trying to stop the Japanese advance in the Pacific Ocean. In 1963, France started nuclear testing at the Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls and shifted underground in 1981.Since then, France has detonated at least 177 nuclear devices in French Polynesia. France conducted the last nuclear tests in 1995, amidst growing international and Polynesian protests. The French claim to have conducted the last of these tests and say there is no evidence of any radioactivity or long-term danger to the ecology.

Habitat

French Polynesia is made up of five main archipelagos of 118 islands and atolls that lie spread out for more that 4 million sq km in the South Pacific, south of the equator. The islands are scattered for miles but their total land area is restricted to a mere 4000 sq km only. The five main island groups are the Society Islands, the Tuamotu Atolls, the Austral Islands, the Marquesas Islands and the Gambier Islands. The main island and the best known, Tahiti has become synonymous for French Polynesia but is just the largest of the 118 islands that together make up French Polynesia. Important islands in the group include Moorea, Tetiaroa, Huahine, Bora Bora, Raiatea, Tahaa, Maupiti, Tikehau, Rangiroa and Manihi.

The islands are not very big in terms of landmass with only six larger than a 100kms in area. The islands are of volcanic origin with tall mountains and sandy beaches, a terrain that spans the gamut from rainforest covered mountain slopes to flat coastal areas, ringed by deep coral reefs in the warm blue waters of the South Pacific Ocean. The soil is rich and fertile enough to produce a variety of tropical flowers, vegetables and fruits.

French Polynesia doesn’t have very many native species of animals apart from the odd gecko and some insects but it has a wealth of marine life in its coral reefs and over 100 species of birds, including terns, petrels, noddies and frigate birds.