French Polynesia

When people think of bucket-list tropical vacation destinations, places such as Bali, Indonesia or the Caribbean are apparent. However, French Polynesia does not commonly come to mind. The French Polynesia is an overseas country of France, consisting of about 120 islands in the Pacific Ocean . While it’s renowned for its stunning beaches with pristine waters, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

French Polynesia consists of five archipelagos; the Society Islands,Tuamotu, Gambier Islands, Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands. The most populated island as of the 2017 census was Tahiti, the capital of the French Polynesia, which is located in the Society Islands group. 

Apart from its beaches, French Polynesia has a rich culture with history dating back far into the past. French Polynesia has been linguistically diverse for many years. Each Polynesian community has its own local speech variety. These dialects can be grouped into seven languages based on mutual intelligibility; Tahitian, Tuamotuan, Rapa, Austral, North Marquesan, South Marquesan as well as the Mangarevan.

The French Polynesia, however, only has one official language-French.

French Polynesia offers so much in terms of appreciating nature and culture. In French Polynesia, tourists can learn about the Tahitian black Pearl trade and discover Polynesian lifestyle. Warm lagoons commonly found in the islands of Tahiti provide an ideal environment for the cultivation of pearls. These pearls are commonly addressed as Tahitian black pearls though they can be found in a variety of colours, from dark green to silver. Another unique characteristic of French Polynesia is that the mailboxes outside homes are actually not used for letters, but for loaves of bread. These ‘baguette mailboxes’ are reminiscent of French colonialism.

Some commonly visited islands in the  Polynesia include Tahiti, home to the capital city Papeete, Moorea and Bora Bora. Each year, these islands receive over 200,000 tourists. However, under the Fāri’ira’a Manihini 2027 (FM27) five-year strategic mission, the French Polynesian government aims to set an annual cap of one foreign tourist per local resident, limiting the number of tourists to about 280,000 a year. This tropical paradise is also known for its diverse marine life that can be seen while on boat tours or scuba diving, as well as its overwater bungalows.

Adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts alike can delight in various activities in French Polynesia, a utopia of rich cultural heritage and picturesque natural landscapes.

Sources:

“French Polynesia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Dec. 2024, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Polynesia.

Marcus, Lilit. “French Polynesia to Cap Tourist Numbers.” CNN, Cable News Network, 10 Nov. 2022, amp.cnn.com/cnn/travel/article/french-polynesia-tahiti-tourist-cap. 

Zhou Yuhan

Secondary 2 Wisdom

2025