French Polynesia
is divided into five groups of islands: the Society Islands archipelago,
composed of the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands; the Tuamotu
Archipelago; the Gambier Islands; the Marquesas Islands; and the Austral
Islands. Among its 118 islands and atolls, 67 are inhabited. Tahiti, which is
located within the Society Islands, is the most populous island, having close
to 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017. Papeete, located on
Tahiti, is the capital. Although not an integral part of its territory,
Clipperton Island was administered from French Polynesia until 2007.
Following the
Great Polynesian Migration, European explorers visited the islands of French
Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited. In
1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate
they called Établissements français d'Océanie (EFO) (French
Establishments/Settlements of Oceania).
In 1946, the EFO
became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth
Republic, and Polynesians were granted the right to vote through citizenship.
In 1957, the EFO were renamed French Polynesia. In 1983 French Polynesia became
a member of the Pacific Community, a regional development organization. Since 28
March 2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas collectivity of the French
Republic under the constitutional revision of article 74, and later gained,
with law 2004-192 of 27 February 2004, an administrative autonomy, two symbolic
manifestations of which are the title of the President of French Polynesia and
its additional designation as an overseas country.
For the envelope
for this country I bought a recent stamp for the international tariff on the
website of the French Post: laposte.fr/timbres-polynesie.
Stamps of
French Polynesia can also be bought in the shop Le Carré d'Encre in Paris.
Date sent: 17
April 2017
Date postmark:
29 May 2017
Date received: 7
June 2017
Number of days:
51
Envelope in collection:
144
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