Map of French Polynesia with regions and capitals

Regions of French Polynesia

French Polynesia is divided into 5 administrative subdivisions: the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands, which together form the Society Islands, the Tuamotu-Gambier, the Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands. Papeete, the capital, is on Tahiti in the Windward Islands.

Blank and coloring maps of French Polynesia

Blank map of French Polynesia

Coloring map of French Polynesia

Geography of French Polynesia

The islands are scattered over a vast area of ocean, but their land totals only 4,167 km² (1,609 sq mi). They form five archipelagos: the Society Islands, which include Tahiti and Bora Bora; the Tuamotu Archipelago, a long chain of low coral atolls; the Gambier Islands; the Marquesas Islands in the northeast; and the Austral Islands in the south. The high islands are volcanic, with steep, green peaks, and on Tahiti, Mont Orohena rises to 2,241 m (7,352 ft), the highest point.

Many of the islands, such as Bora Bora and Moorea, are ringed by coral reefs and shallow lagoons, while the Tuamotus include Rangiroa, one of the largest atolls in the world. The Marquesas, by contrast, have few fringing reefs and rise abruptly from the sea. The climate is tropical, with a warm, humid season from November to April and a cooler, drier season the rest of the year. Most people live on Tahiti, around the capital, Papeete.

Fun facts

• Rangiroa in the Tuamotus is one of the largest atolls in the world, with a lagoon big enough to hold the whole island of Tahiti.
• The painter Paul Gauguin spent his last years in the Marquesas Islands and is buried on Hiva Oa.