This article is about the wider region in the Pacific. For the French collectivity, see French Polynesia. For the genus of moth, see Polynesia (moth). For the point of land in the South Orkney Islands, see Signy Island.
Polynesia[a] (UK: /ˌpɒlɪˈniːziə/POL-in-EE-zee-ə, US: /-ˈniːʒə/-EE-zhə) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in common, including language relatedness, cultural practices, and traditional beliefs.[1] In centuries past, they had a strong shared tradition of sailing and using stars to navigate at night.[2][3]
The term Polynésie was first used in 1756 by the French writer Charles de Brosses, who originally applied it to all the islands of the Pacific. In 1831, Jules Dumont d'Urville proposed a narrower definition during a lecture at the Société de Géographie of Paris. By tradition, the islands located in the southern Pacific have also often been called the South Sea Islands,[4] and their inhabitants have been called South Sea Islanders. The Hawaiian Islands have often been considered to be part of the South Sea Islands because of their relative proximity to the southern Pacific islands, even though they are in fact located in the North Pacific. Another term in use, which avoids this inconsistency, is "the Polynesian Triangle" (from the shape created by the layout of the islands in the Pacific Ocean). This term makes clear that the grouping includes the Hawaiian Islands, which are located at the northern vertex of the referenced "triangle".
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^Holmes, Lowell Don (1 June 1955). "Island Migrations (1): The Polynesian Navigators Followed a Unique Plan". XXV(11) Pacific Islands Monthly. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
^Holmes, Lowell Don (1 August 1955). "Island Migrations (2): Birds and Sea Currents Aided Canoe Navigators". XXVI(1) Pacific Islands Monthly. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
^Russell, Michael (1849). Polynesia: A History of the South Sea Islands, including New Zealand.
Polynesia (UK: /ˌpɒlɪˈniːziə/ POL-in-EE-zee-ə, US: /-ˈniːʒə/ -EE-zhə) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the...
French Polynesia (/ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒə/ POL-in-EE-zhə; French: Polynésie française [pɔlinezi fʁɑ̃sɛːz]; Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is an overseas collectivity...
largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest...
ethnolinguistic group of closely related ethnic groups who are native to Polynesia (islands in the Polynesian Triangle), an expansive region of Oceania in...
geographical region comprising Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, at the centre of the water...
15°00′S 140°00′W / 15.000°S 140.000°W / -15.000; -140.000 French Polynesia is located in Oceania. It is a group of six archipelagos in the South Pacific...
meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. Their...
Leeward Islands comprise the western part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, which is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic in the Pacific...
(Tahitian: Papeʻete, pronounced [pa.pe.ʔe.te]) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic in the Pacific Ocean...
categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term Pacific Islands may refer to one of...
The president of French Polynesia (French: Président de la Polynésie française; Tahitian: Peretīteni o te Porīnetia Farāni) has been the head of government...
The music of Polynesia is a diverse set of musical traditions from islands within a large area of the central and southern Pacific Ocean, approximately...
of French Polynesia (French: drapeau de la Polynésie française) is the civil and state flag of the French overseas country French Polynesia. It was adopted...
Polynesia Line, based in San Rafael, CA, is an ocean container shipping line specializing in trade between the South Pacific islands and the US Pacific...
French while in French Polynesia this figure is 95%, and in the French collectivity of Wallis and Futuna, it is 84%. In French Polynesia and to a lesser extent...
the Austronesian family. While half of them are spoken in geographical Polynesia (the Polynesian triangle), the other half – known as Polynesian outliers...
The Assembly of French Polynesia (French: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te apoʻoraʻa rahi o te fenua Māʻohi) is the unicameral legislature...
coined the terms Melanesia and Micronesia to go alongside the pre-existing Polynesia to designate what he viewed as the three main ethnic and geographical...
indigenous Polynesian people of the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in Polynesia, who speak the Samoan language. The group's home islands are politically...
of the three major subregions of Oceania (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia). Melanesians include the Fijians (Fiji), Kanaks (New Caledonia), Ni-Vanuatu...
New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. The island is commonly referred...
The flora of French Polynesia refers to the native vegetation of the Marquesas Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Society Islands and the Tubuai Islands...
(2003 est.) French Polynesia List of airports in French Polynesia Wikimedia Commons has media related to Transport in French Polynesia. This article incorporates...
This article is about communications systems in French Polynesia. The Honotua fiber optic cable connected Tahiti to Hawaii in 2010, increasing Internet...
Polynesian culture is the culture of the indigenous peoples of Polynesia who share common traits in language, customs and society. The development of...
Overseas, in charge of issues related to the overseas territories. French Polynesia (1946–2003: overseas territory, since 2003: overseas collectivity) In...
University of French Polynesia (French: Université de la Polynésie française) is a French university located in Puna'auia, French Polynesia. Created by a decree...