Hiva-Oa is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. The commune is in the

administrative subdivision Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

of the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in ...

.Décret n° 2005-1611 du 20 décembre 2005 pris pour l'application du statut d'autonomie de la Polynésie française

Légifrance Légifrance is the official website of the French government for the publication of legislation, regulations, and legal information. Access to the site is free. Virtually complete, it presents or refers to all concerned institutions or administrat ...

Its population was 2,243 at the 2017 census.Répartition de la population en Polynésie française en 2017
Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française The commune of Hiva-Oa is made up of the island of

Hiva Oa With its , Hiva Oa is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Located at 9 45' south latitude and 139 W longitude, it is the largest island of the southern Mar ...

proper (), which contains the entire population of the commune, and the uninhabited islands of:Décret n°72-407 du 17 mai 1972 portant création de communes dans le territoire de la Polynésie française

Mohotani Mohotani (sometimes spelt ''Moho Tani''; also called ''Molopu'' or ''Motane'') is an uninhabited island southeast of Hiva Oa and east of Tahuata in the southern Marquesas Islands. It has an area of 15 km2. Much of the island's sparse vegetat ...

, located south of Hiva Oa *

Fatu Huku Fatu Huku, also known as Fatu Uku, is a small island in the Marquesas Islands, approximately north of Hiva Oa. Fatu Huku is less than long and wide and has an area of about Government and geography Fatu Huku is located at 9.43°S latitude ...

, located north of Hiva Oa Hiva-Oa consists of the following associated communes: *

Atuona Atuona, located on Atuona Bay on the southern side of Hiva Oa island, French Polynesia, is the administrative centre of the commune (municipality) of Hiva-Oa. Atuona was the capital of all the Marquesas Islands but it has been replaced by Taioha ...

Puamau Puamau is an associated commune on the island of Hiva Oa With its , Hiva Oa is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Located at 9 45' south latitude and 13 ...

The administrative centre of the commune is the settlement of

, on the southern side of the island of Hiva Oa. The Island is internationally perhaps best known as the place where the French and Belgian artists

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

and Jacques Brel spent their final years and is their final resting place.

Climate

Hiva-Oa features a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: Am).

Footnotes

Communes of French Polynesia Geography of the Marquesas Islands {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub