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Tahiti was originally settled by Polynesians between 300 and 800 AD. They represent about 70% of the island's population, with the rest made up of Europeans, Chinese and those of mixed heritage.
The island of Tahiti consists of two ancient eroded volcanic cones, Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti (the Taiarapu Peninsula), connected by the narrow Isthmus of Taravao. The island, with an area 403 square miles (1,043 square km), accounts for almost one-third of the total land area of French Polynesia.
Tahiti has a long and rich history. The islands were first settled by migrating Polynesians as early as 500BC. They were later discovered by European explorers during the 16th century and eventually colonized by France.
Discover the captivating history of French Polynesia, its legends and colonization, its ancient culture and archeological sites. A fascinating voyage to the heart of this island paradise. The myth of Tahiti as a tropical paradise began with the first European explorers.
The history of the Society Island groups is virtually that of Tahiti, which was made a French protectorate in 1842 and a colony in 1880. French missionaries went to the Gambier group in 1834, and in 1844 a French protectorate was proclaimed, followed by annexation in 1881.
The Kingdom of Tahiti or the Tahitian Kingdom was a Polynesian monarchy founded by paramount chief Pōmare I, who, with the aid of British missionaries and traders, and European weaponry, unified the islands of Tahiti, Moʻorea, Teti‘aroa, and Mehetiʻa.
Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The capital is Papeete, on the northwest coast. Tahiti has also been historically known as "Otaheite."
Like many other Polynesian peoples, the Tahitians formerly lived in a rigidly stratified society. At the top were the ali’i, or ruling chiefly class, a hereditary aristocracy believed to be descended directly from the gods and to embody the sacred power, or mana, on earth.
History and Cultural Relations. Present archaeological evidence supports the view that the Society Islands, of which Tahiti is a part, were the first to be populated in eastern Polynesia from an eastern Polynesia dispersal center in the Marquesas, perhaps as early as a.d. 850.
Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia, was made a French protectorate in 1842 and a colony in the 1880s. The other islands were annexed by the turn of the century. This status quo remained until 1946, when Polynesia was made an Overseas Territory.