French Polynesia Facts & Information

Location	Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia
Climate	Tropical, but moderate
Terrain	Mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
Population	270,485
Nationality	French Polynesian
Ethnic groups	Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
Religions	Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%
Languages	French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%
Government Type	N/A
Capital	Papeete
Currency	Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)
Description of Flag	Two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern.
French Polynesia Flag

More Information
 www.cia.gov

Bora Bora Culture

Protestant missionaries arrived on the island in the 19th century and destroyed a large number of the ancient marae (sacred stone temples) in an effort to convert the natives. Though more than 150 years have passed since the conversion, many people still maintain their Christian beliefs and are considered to be very religious and pious. You may even notice family gravesites in the front yards of the local’s homes.

The pace of the people of Bora Bora is slow and relaxed and they live by the philosophy, “aita pea pea,” which means “not to worry.” A good way to see first-hand how Bora Borans live is to take a walk through the main settlement of Vaitape Village, which sits at the base of Mount Pahia.

The main languages of the island are French and Tahitian, but English is spoken at many of the hotels, shops, restaurants and other tourist attractions.

Bora Bora Shopping

haggle over prices. The price marked is the price paid.

A black pearl makes the most unique souvenir to bring back from the South Pacific. This natural gem is cultivated at over 1,000 pearl farms throughout the Tahitian waters. Merchants carry varying sizes and price ranges. One such up-scale showroom is O.P.E.C. (tel: +689-67-61-62) where the black pearls are numbered and come with x-rays and certificates. Located along Pofai Bay, O.P.E.C. is among a cluster of shops offering the best of Bora Bora’s tourist shopping.

Bora Bora Travel Guides
 Frommer's Bora Bora
 Lonely Planet Bora Bora
 Let's Go Bora Bora
 Fodors Bora Bora