Our origins…
Formed around 20 million years ago the 130 islands that make up French Polynesia are fairly recent from a geological point of view and were populated around 2000 years ago by people coming from Asia arriving in successive waves of migration.
Nowadays it is generally recognised that the islands would have been gradually populated by navigators coming from Asia aboard of large outrigger canoes with sails. This would have started at the beginning of the Christian era and would have unfolded over a period of over several centuries. It is estimated that the island group was finally populated at the end of the 10th century.
Even so diverse theories are still being proposed in regards to the origin of the Polynesians and the Maori civilisation remains extremely mysterious. These pacific islands remained practically unknown in the west up to the 17th century.
Unfortunately for his sick men Magellan failed to spot these islands during his interminable crossing of the Pacific in 1520.
Learn more about Tahiti and Tourism 
Nowadays it is generally recognised that the islands would have been gradually populated by navigators coming from Asia aboard of large outrigger canoes with sails. This would have started at the beginning of the Christian era and would have unfolded over a period of over several centuries. It is estimated that the island group was finally populated at the end of the 10th century.
Even so diverse theories are still being proposed in regards to the origin of the Polynesians and the Maori civilisation remains extremely mysterious. These pacific islands remained practically unknown in the west up to the 17th century.
Unfortunately for his sick men Magellan failed to spot these islands during his interminable crossing of the Pacific in 1520.
Formed about 20 million years ago, the 130 islands of FrenchPolynesia were populated 2000 years ago by people coming from Asia and which have settled here.
Learn more about Tahiti and Tourism