Tahiti is the main island of French Polynesia and the largest island of this community in the Pacific Ocean.

The capital is Papeete. Tahitians are citizens of France. The official language is French.

According to Sourcemakeup, Tahiti is a volcanic island with an area of ​​1042 km2. There are coral reefs around the island. The surface of the island is covered by a lush tropical rainforest. The rainy season lasts from November to April. The wettest month is January, during which 335 mm of precipitation falls in Papeete. The dry month is August (48 mm of precipitation).

The average air temperature is +21*C, the highest is +31*C. The temperature changes little throughout the year. The lowest is fixed on Papeete +16*C, and the highest +34*C.

In monetary circulation, Polynesian francs. (XPF) 1 Euro is approximately equal to 120 Polynesian francs.

French and Tahitian are the official languages. English is spoken in hotels, tourist places, shops, restaurants.

A special visa is required, obtained from the French Embassy. Visa processing time is 2 weeks.

Required documents for obtaining a visa:
– completed and signed application form
– the original passport, the validity of which must exceed the validity of the visa by 3 months –
1 photograph
– a certificate from the place of work on a letterhead indicating the position and salary, stamped and signed by an official; for students – certificate from school/institution
– health insurance
– for children under 18 traveling with one parent, a birth certificate and a notarized travel authorization from the other parent are required. Parental permission must be valid throughout the Schengen area.
– a photocopy of all pages of a civil passport

The visa fee is $40.

Resorts and attractions of Tahiti

Why is Tahiti so magical? What is this magnetic charm that for centuries seduced poets and writers, incited sailors to mutiny, inspired artists to create beautiful paintings?

In novels, pictures, words and moods, Tahiti is the most romantic place on earth. As if it was specially created by nature for lovers. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a secluded place in the Garden of Eden by the ocean with your Adam or Eve, and the image of Tahiti will probably flash through your mind.

Intoxicating aromas. Palm-shaded sugar white shores. Secluded coves. Islands more sensual than Gauguin’s, more daring than Robert Louis Stevenson’s stories, more romantic than James Michener’s Bali Hai.

Relaxation and conspicuous slowness is a local virus. Every traveler, having arrived in Tahiti, no longer remembers either the time or the business. The same “virus” and unobtrusive hospitality seduced the British, who discovered Tahiti in the 17th century.

Although Tahiti is located in French Polynesia, almost everyone speaks English.

There is a magical environment in everything: breathtaking landscapes, incredible turquoise lagoons, and, as a calling card, the Tahitian tiare garland, the main flower of Polynesia. The Italians say: “Tahiti is a paradise where even sinners are allowed. We think that later, most likely, we will not be rewarded with paradise, we need to have time now.”

Tahiti is 45 km wide and has a territory of 1045 km2. The highest point is Mount Orokhena (2241 meters above sea level). The island consists of two almost round parts with volcanoes in the center. These parts are connected by the short isthmus of Tarawai. The northwestern part is called Tahiti Nui (large Tahiti), and the southeastern part is called Tahiti Iti (small Tahiti) or Tayarapu.

Tahiti Nui is densely populated, especially around Papeete. It has two highways. Tahiti Iti remains isolated, and its southeastern half, To Pari, can only be reached by boat or on foot through the mountains. The main road meanders around the island, between the mountains and the sea, while internal roads lead up past dairy farms and citrus orchards. The mountains offer panoramic views. There are many fast-flowing streams in Tahiti, among which Papenoo stands out in the north.

The majority of the population is of Polynesian origin, as well as people with European and Asian roots, concentrated in and around the Papeete region (in Punaauya). They make up almost 20% of the inhabitants.

Interesting Facts

The island was inhabited by people around 300 BC.

The artist Paul Gauguin lived and worked in Tahiti.

Approximately 5,000 years ago, the inhabitants of mainland China began to cross the strait and establish settlements in Taiwan. A thousand years later, the Philippines was settled. Soon the turn of Timor came, and from there other islands of the Indonesian archipelago. Somewhere around 500 BC movement began in another direction – from the Philippines to New Guinea and further, to the Pacific Islands.

Australonesians are the first navigators in the history of mankind. Tahiti was settled in the 3rd-7th centuries by Polynesians from Tonga and Samoa, although some historians push back the date of settlement in ancient times. The fertile land combined with fishing was a good source of food.

The first European to map the island of Tahiti was Pedro Fernandez de Quiros in 1606. He first visited Samuel Wallis Island on June 19, 1767 and named it King George’s Island. Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who arrived there a few months later, first called it the New Kiter. Bougainville made Tahiti famous throughout Europe by publishing his Journey Around the World, in which he described the island as an earthly paradise, where men and women live far away from corrupt society, in happy innocence.

Tahiti and neighboring islands (118 in total), known as French Polynesia, are scattered over an area of ​​4 million square meters. km. in the Southeast Pacific. The total land area of ​​the islands is about 4,167 sq. km. The islands conditionally form several archipelagos: the Society Islands (including Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea, etc.), the Marquesas Islands, the Tuamotu Atoll, and the Mangareva Islands. The administrative center of the whole of French Podinesia is the city of Papaete. It is also the capital of Tahiti, the largest island.

The climate is tropical. Cool, gentle breezes from the Pacific make the climate of French Polynesia sunny and comfortable. Conventionally, two seasons are distinguished: from November to May – warmer and more humid, from June to October – cooler and drier. Most of the precipitation falls during the “warm” season, but during this time there are many magnificent sunny days. Average annual air temperature – 27 degrees, water – 26 degrees.