Society Islands

From Free net encyclopedia

The Society Islands (French: Îles de la Société or officially Archipel de la Société) are a group of islands in the south Pacific, administratively part of French Polynesia. There are 14 scattered islands in the archipelago, 8 of which are inhabited. The islands are of volcanic origin. Mt. Orohena, which rises to 7,339 feet (2,238 meters) on Tahiti, is the highest peak in French Polynesia. The climate of the archipelago is tropical, with temperatures averaging about 80° F (27° C) and a wet season from November to April.

The islands are divided by a 60-mile (100-km) wide channel into two geographical and political groups: the Windward Islands, the largest of which are Tahiti and Moorea, and the Leeward Islands, where Raiatea is the largest.

Windward Islands (Îles du Vent) (listed from east to west)
Leeward Islands (Îles Sous-le-Vent)
- Huahine which at high tide is divided into two islands, Huahine Nui to the north and Huahine Iti to the south
- Bora Bora
- Raiatea and Tahaa which are both enclosed by the same coral reef
- Maupiti
- Tupai
- Mopelia
- Scilly
- Bellinghausen/Motu One

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People

The Society Islands had a population of 214,445 inhabitants as of a 2002 census. Most of the inhabitants are Polynesian. Papeete, on Tahiti, is the capital and chief port of French Polynesia. The major subsistence crops are taro, breadfruit, and yams. Tropical fruits, cotton, and sugarcane are also cultivated there. The islands are a popular tourist spot.

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History

Claimed for Britain by Captain Samuel Wallis (1767) and for France by Louis de Bougainville (1786), the islands were visited (1769) by James Cook with a scientific expedition of the Royal Society. The islands became a French protectorate in 1843 a colony in 1880, and eventually a part of French Oceania in 1903. The Îles du Vent and the Îles Sous le Vent became administrative divisions of French Polynesia in 1946. They cover an area of 1,598 km² (617 sq. miles).

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