French Polynesia

(Polynésie Francaise)

Tahiti, Marquesas, Society Islands, Tuamoto, Tubuai

Capital: Papeete (on Tahiti)

These five archipelagoes in the South Pacific were first visited by Europeans in 1595. They became a French Protectorate in 1843, were annexed to France in 1880-2 and became a French Overseas Territory in 1958, changing their name from French Oceania to French Polynesia. They were given self-government in 1977 and after demands for independence by another French territory, New Caledonia, unrest developed.

Tahiti (Otaheite)