Society Islands.html |
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| Native name: Îles de la Société | |
 Tahiti |
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Archipelago | Society Islands |
| Major islands | Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora, Huahine |
| Area | 1590 km² |
| Highest point | Mont Orohena (2241 m) |
| Country | |
 France |
|
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Largest city | Papeete (131,695 urban) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 227,807 1 (as of Aug. 2007 census) |
| Density | 143 people/km² |
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The Society Islands (French: Îles de la Société or officially Archipel de la Société) are a group of islands in the south Pacific, administratively part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands; however, Cook states in his journal that he called the islands Society "as they lay contiguous to one another"2.
The islands are divided geographically, politically and administratively into two groups:
- Windward Islands (Îles du Vent) (listed from east to west)
- Leeward Islands (Îles Sous-le-Vent)
The islands became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880. They have a population of 227,807 inhabitants (as of August 2007 census).1 They cover a land area of 1,590 km² (614 sq. miles).
References
- ^ a b (French) Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). "Recensement de la population 2007" (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ Horwitz, Tony. Oct. 2003, Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before, Bloomsbury, ISBN 0-7475-6455-8
External links
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