The Windward Islands (french: Îles du Vent) are the eastern group of the
Society Islands
The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the ...
in
French Polynesia, an
overseas collectivity
The French overseas collectivities (''collectivité d'outre-mer'' or ''COM'') are first-order administrative divisions of France, like the French regions, but have a semi-autonomous status. The COMs include some former French overseas colonies ...
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 southern
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 ...
. These islands were also previously named the Georgian Islands in honour of King
George III of the United Kingdom.
Geography
The
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...
comprises an
administrative division
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 ...
(french: subdivision administrative) of French Polynesia, and includes the following islands:
*
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the 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 major landmass is Austra ...
*
Moorea
*
Mehetia
*
Tetiaroa
*
Maiao
Maiao, also known as Mai'ao or Maiao in languages other than Tahitian, is an island formation located southwest of Moorea and one of the Windward Islands (French: ''Îles du Vent'') in French Polynesia.
Geography
The island formation consists ...
The capital of the administrative district is
Papeete on the island of Tahiti. Tahiti, Moorea, and Mehetia are
high island
Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
s. Tetiaroa and Maiao are
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...
atoll
An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
s.
Culture
The majority of the population speaks
French and
Tahitian (co-official with French throughout French Polynesia).
Administrative
The Windward Islands form the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands (''subdivision administrative des Îles du Vent''), one of
French Polynesia's five
administrative subdivisions. The administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands geographically co-extensive with the electoral district of the Windward Islands (''circonscription des Îles du Vent''), one of
French Polynesia's 6 electoral districts (''circonscriptions électorales'') for the
Assembly of French Polynesia (see also
Politics of French Polynesia
Politics of French Polynesia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity, whereby the President of French Polynesia is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power i ...
).
See also
References
{{authority control
Islands of the Society Islands
Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean