The 118 islands of French Polynesia were born
from volcanoes some 20 million years ago. The islands in the Society,
Marquesas, Austral and Gambier Island groups remained high islands, while the
islands of the Tuamotu Islands group became atolls. Atolls are islands
that have long since sunk below the ocean surface, leaving only the barrier
reef. The total land area of the islands is equivalent to the total area
of Europe.
The remoteness of the islands of Polynesia kept the people insulated from the rest of the world until European world travel began in the 1700's. Polynesian origins are believed to be in the area of Southeast Asia, more precisely the eastern are of Indonesia or the Phillipines some 4,000 years ago. The early Polynesians were master navigators. Their migrations took them through Melanesia to the eastern edge of Polynesia. The Polynesians settled in Polynesia between 1000 BC and 1000 AD. Polynesia is roughly described as the "triangle" with the northern point in the islands of Hawai'i, the southeast at Easter Island, and to the southwest at New Zealand.
The Polynesian migration lasted about 2000 years. Not all Polynesian cultures are exactly alike. Adaptation to different island groups as well as the great distances between islands of Polynesia resulted in similarities and differences in the culture, languages, religion, daily practices and forms of artistic expression.
Spanish explorers discovered the Marquesas Islands in 1595. However, true contact between the Polynesians and European explorers did not begin until the discovery of Tahiti by the Englishman Wallis in 1767. These contacts resulted in an upheaval of the economic and social structure of the Polynesians. The Christianization by Protestant and Catholic missionaries resulted in the abandonment of traditional religious practices and places of worship, "marae".
After decades of rivalries between Britain and France over the ownership of the islands of Tahiti, France declared the islands as a protectorate in 1843. In 1944, the islands were declared to be an overseas territory of France.
On October 25, 1946, a decree by France allowed the Polynesians to manage their own public matters, while still maintaining institutional control. On July 22, 1957, the terrorial assembly is instituted in "French Polynesia" with control over such affairs as commerce, transportation, and education. In December 1958, France reclaims some of the controls lost to the formation of the territorial assembly the previous year. But in 1977, the responsibilities of the territorial assembly are returned to their 1957 level.
A law passed on September 6, 1984, begins the first real move toward autonomy for French Polynesia. The statute recognized the identity and personality of French Polynesia, allowing it to its distinctive signs (such as flag and national anthem). The position of President of the Government is established, which placed local control of the government. The local government was also allowed to enter into international agreements. Additonal local government responsibilities were secondary education, postal and telecommunications.
Additional autonomy was granted in 1996 and 1998. Today, French Polynesia is largely responsible for its own affairs, with some responsibilities remaining with France, such as currency and defense.