Tahiti
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| Tahiti | |
|---|---|
 Tahiti is famous for black beaches. |
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Archipelago | Society Islands |
| Area | 1,045 km² |
| Highest point | Mont Orohena 2,241 m |
| Administration | |
 France |
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| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Largest city | Papeete (131,695 urban) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 178,133[1] (as of Aug. 2007 census) |
| Density | 170/km² |
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The island had a population of 178,133 inhabitants according to the August 2007 census.[1] This makes it the most populated island of French Polynesia, with 68.6% of the total population. The capital is Papeete, on the northwest coast. Tahiti has also been historically known as O'tahiti.
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[edit] Geography
Tahiti is some 45 km (28 mi) wide at the widest point and covers 1,045 km² (403.5 sq mi), with the highest elevation being at 2,241 m (7,352 ft) above sea level (Mount Orohena). Mont Roonui, located on the southeastern part is 1332 m high. The island consists of two roughly round portions centered on volcanic mountains, connected by a short isthmus named after the small town of Taravao, which sits there. The northwestern part is known as Tahiti Nui ("big Tahiti"), and the southeastern part, much smaller, is known as Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti") or Taiarapu. Whereas Tahiti Nui is quite heavily populated (especially around Papeete) and benefits from rather good infrastructure such as roads and highways, Tahiti Iti has remained quite isolated, its southeastern half (Te Pari) being accessible only by boat or hiking. A main road winds around the island between the mountains and the sea while an interior road climbs past dairy farms and citrus groves with panoramic views. Tahiti also has many swift streams, including the Papenoo in the north.
The vegetation is tremendously lush rain forest.
November through April is the wet season, and the wettest month is January, with 13.2 inches (335 mm) of precipitation in the capital of Papeete. August is the driest month with only 1.9 inches (48 mm) of rain. The average low temperature is 70 °F (21 °C) and the average high temperature is 88 °F (31 °C) with very little seasonal variation. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Papeete was 61 °F (16 °C) and the highest temperature recorded was 93 °F (34 °C).[2]
[edit] History
Tahiti is estimated to have been settled by Polynesians between AD 300 and 800 coming from Tonga and Samoa, although some estimates place the date earlier. The fertile island soil combined with fishing provided ample food for the population.
Although the first European sighting of the islands was by a Spanish ship in 1606, Spain made no effort to trade with or colonize the island. Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti on June 18, 1767, and is considered the first European visitor to the island. The perceived relaxation and contented nature of the local people and the characterization of the island as a paradise much impressed early European visitors, planting the seed for a romanticization by the West that endures to this day.
Wallis was followed in April 1768 by the French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville who was completing the first French circumnavigation. Bougainville made Tahiti famous in Europe when he published the account of his travel in Voyage autour du Monde. He described the island as an earthly paradise where men and women live happily in innocence, away from the corruption of civilization. His account of the island powerfully illustrated the concept of the noble savage, and influenced the utopian thoughts of philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau before the advent of the French Revolution.
In April 1769 Captain James Cook visited the island per secret orders from the Lords of the Admiralty in order to view the transit of Venus on June 2nd. He set up camp at Matavai Bay and stayed on until August 9th. The population at that time was estimated to be 50,000 including all the nearby islands in the chain. After Cook's 1st visit, European ships landed on the island with ever greater frequency. The best-known of these ships was HMS Bounty, whose crew mutinied shortly after leaving Tahiti in 1789. The European influence caused significant disruption to the traditional society, by bringing prostitution, venereal diseases, and alcohol to the island. Introduced diseases including typhus, influenza and smallpox killed so many Tahitians that by 1797, the island's population was only about 16,000. Later it was to drop as low as 6,000.[3]
In 1842, a European crisis involving Morocco escalated between France and Great Britain when Admiral Dupetit Thouars, acting independently of the French government, was able to convince Tahiti's Queen Pomare IV to accept a French protectorate. George Pritchard, a Birmingham-born missionary and acting British Consul, had been away at the time of the agreement. However he returned to work towards indoctrinating the locals against the Roman Catholic French. In November 1843, Dupetit-Thouars (again completely on his own initiative) landed sailors on the island, formally annexing it to France. He then proceeded to throw Pritchard into prison, subsequently sending him unceremoniously back to Britain.
News of the events in Tahiti reached Europe in early 1844. The French statesman François Guizot, supported by King Louis-Philippe of France, had strongly denounced the annexation of the island. However, war between the French and the Tahitians continued until 1847. The island remained a French protectorate until June 29, 1880, when King Pomare V (1842–1891) was forced to cede the sovereignty of Tahiti and its dependencies to France. He was given the titular position of Officer of the Orders of the Legion of Honour and Agricultural Merit of France. In 1946, Tahiti and the whole of French Polynesia became a Territoire d'outre-mer (French overseas territory). In 2003, this status was changed to that of Collectivité d'outre-mer (French overseas community).
French painter Paul Gauguin lived on Tahiti in the 1890s and painted many Tahitian (16 °C)subjects. Papeari has a small Gauguin museum.
[edit] Politics
Tahitians are French citizens with nearly full civil and political rights. The Tahitian language and the French language are both in use.
Tahiti is part of French Polynesia (Polynésie Française). French Polynesia is now a semi-autonomous territory of France with its own assembly, President, budget and laws. France's influence is limited to providing subsidies, education and security. The former President of French Polynesia, Oscar Temaru, advocates full independence from France, however, only about 20% of the population is currently in favor of full independence.
During a press conference on June 26, 2006 during the second France-Oceania Summit, French President Jacques Chirac said he did not think the majority of Tahitians wanted independence. He said he would keep an open door to a possible referendum in the future.
Elections for the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia, were held on May 23, 2004 (see French Polynesian legislative election, 2004). In a surprise result, Oscar Temaru's pro-independence progressive coalition formed a Government with a one seat majority in the 57 seat parliament, defeating the conservative party led by Gaston Flosse (see also List of political parties in French Polynesia). On October 8, 2004, the Gaston Flosse led opposition party succeeded in passing a censure motion against the Government, provoking a political crisis. A major topic of controversy is whether the national government of France should use its exceptional power to call for new elections in a local government, in case of a grave political crisis.
[edit] Demographics
The people are of Polynesian (Pacific Islander) ancestry, the so-called Demis, as well as the people of European ancestry and the people of East Asian (essentially Chinese) ancestry are concentrated in Tahiti, thus making up a larger share of the population in Tahiti than in French Polynesia overall (see Demographics section at French Polynesia). Most people from metropolitan France live in Papeete and its suburbs, notably Punaauia where they make up almost 20% of the population.[citation needed]
[edit] Historical population
| 1767 | 1797 | 1848 | 1897 | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1941 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50,000[4] to 200,000[5] |
16,000[4] | 8,600 | 10,750 | 11,800 | 11,700 | 14,200 | 16,800 | 19,000 | 23,100 | |||
| 1951 | 1956 | 1962 | 1971 | 1977 | 1983 | 1988 | 1996 | 2002 | 2007 | |||
| 30,500 | 38,100 | 45,400 | 79,494 | 95,604 | 115,820 | 131,309 | 150,721 | 169,674 | 178,133 | |||
| Official figures from past censuses.[1] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | ||||||||||||
Tourism is a significant industry, mostly to the islands of Bora Bora and Moorea. In July, the Heiva festival in Papeete celebrates Polynesian culture and the commemoration of the storming of the Bastille in France.
After the establishment of the CEP (Centre d'Experimentation du Pacifique) in 1963, the standard of living in French Polynesia increased considerably and as a result, many Polynesians abandoned traditional activities and many islanders decided to emigrate to the centre at Papeete. Even though the standard of living in Polynesia is elevated (due mainly to France's FDI investment), the economy is extremely reliant on imports. At the cessation of CEP activities, France signed the Progress Pact with Tahiti to compensate the loss of financial resources and assist in education and tourism with an investment of about US$150 Million a year from the beginning of 2006. The main trading partners with Tahiti are France which accounts for about 40% of imports and about 25% of exports, the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Black pearl farming is also a substantial source of revenues, most of the pearls being exported to Japan, Europe and the US. Tahiti also exports vanilla, fruits, flowers, monoi, fish, coprah oil, and noni.
Unemployment affects about 13% of the active population, especially women and unqualified young people.
Tahiti’s currency, the French Pacific Franc (CFP, also known as XPF), is pegged to the Euro at 1 CFP = EUR .00838 (approx. 81 CFP to the US Dollar as of January 2008). Hotels and financial institutions offer exchange services.
There is no sales tax in Tahiti. However, a special 2% reduced rate Value Added Tax (VAT) applies to all rented accommodations (hotel rooms, pensions and family stays), and room and meal packages for tourists. A 4% VAT rate applies to purchases in shops, stores and boutiques. A 6% VAT rate applies to bars, excursions, car rentals, snacks and restaurants.
[edit] Education
Tahiti hosts a French university, Université de la Polynésie Française ("University of French Polynesia"). It is a small growing university, with around 2,000 students and about 60 researchers. Le Collège La Mennais is located in Papeete.
[edit] Transport
Faa'a International Airport is the international airport of Tahiti with Air Tahiti Nui being the national airline while Air Tahiti is the main airline for inter-island flights. The Moorea Ferry is also a notable ferry that operates from Papeete. There are also several Ferries which transport people and goods throughout the islands.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c (French) Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). Recensement de la population 2007 (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ Papeete, French Polynesia. Weatherbase.com. Last retrieved 2007-09-26.
- ^ Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Depopulation of French Polynesia in the 19th Century
- ^ a b Robert C. Schmitt in Population Trends in Hawaii and French Polynesia
- ^ Estimate by James Cook: [1]
- ^ 2002 census
- ^ 1971, 1977, 1983, 1988, and 1996 censuses
- ^ Censuses from 1911 to 1962 in Population, 1972, #4-5, page 720, published by INED
- ^ La Grande Encyclopédie for the 1897 census
- ^ 1848 census
[edit] See also
- Music of Tahiti
- Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia
- Tahitian language
- Nuclear-free zone
[edit] External links
- Official Website (Tahiti Tourism Board)
- Map of French Polynesia
- CIA Factbook entry
- Picture gallery
- University of French Polynesia
- Photogallery of Society Islands
- (French) Informations sur Tahiti
- (French) Faufa'a Tupuna, le wiki consacré au patrimoine culturel polynésien
- Tahiti is at coordinates
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