Tahiti and
her legendary islands of love have captured the imagination of the Western
world for more than two hundred years.
18th century voyagers Wallis, Bougainville and Cook
all spoke of a land of spellbinding beauty and enchantment. There the
climate was delightful, dangerous insects and diseases unknown, and
the natives, especially the women, among the handsomest ever seen.
A hundred years later though, the indigenous population
was nearly decimated by the overwhelming tide of European settlers,
traffickers, mercenaries, diseases and religious wars. In 1880, after
much resistance from Tahitians and competition from the British, France
declared the Tahitian islands a full French colony and French Polynesia
was born.
Although French is widely spoken throughout the territory,
80% of the population also speak Tahitian. The education system is based
entirely in French, and Tahitian was only recognised as an official
language in 1980. English-speaking tourists needn't worry about the
language barrier though as many in the tourist industry can speak English.
In 1996 the population of the whole territory was 219,521.
It was granted partial internal self-government in 1977 after ongoing
nationalist protest by indigenous
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Letele, Roshni, Sham, Teleiai Su’a
Edwin, Ruta & Olo Elise on arrival at Faleolo Airport. |
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