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21 Interesting Facts About Tahiti and Her Islands
Tahiti and Her Islands are unlike any set of islands in the world. Here are 21 interesting facts about Tahiti and Her Islands.
- Hawaii gets more visitors in 10 days than Tahiti does in an entire year.
- In ancient Tahiti, archery was a sacred sport, practiced only by people of
high rank. And while they were expert marksmen, bows and arrows
were never used as weapons of war.
- It’s common to put a tiare (Tahiti’s national flower, a fragrant white
blossom) behind one’s ear -- left side you’re taken, right if you’re looking.
- James Michener’s mythical island of Bali Hai is likened to Moorea.
- Moorea is known as "The Island of Love," and Bora Bora as "The
Romantic Island."
- Moorea means "yellow lizard" which is a name taken from a family of
chiefs.
- Natives of the lush Austral Islands grow many crops in the fertile soil.
Due to their diets of foods rich in fluoride, people from these temperate
isles have beautiful white teeth.
- Over half of the population is under the age of 20 years old.
- Tahiti and Her Islands covers over two million square miles of the South Pacific Ocean
and is comprised of five great archipelagos with 118 islands.
- Tahitians are very friendly, but somewhat shy. Visitors find that by
offering the first smile or "ia ora na" (hello), they will be greeted by
wonderful Tahitian hospitality.
- The beautiful black pearls, cherished by natives and visitors alike, are
indigenous only in the Tuomotu Islands of French Polynesia.
- The Chinese population (about 10 percent) monopolizes the retail trade,
so when Tahitians talk about going shopping, they say they are going to
"la Chine" or to the Chinese.
- The letter "B" does not exist in the Tahitian language. Bora Bora is
actually Pora Pora, meaning first born, but early visitors heard it as Bora
Bora.
- The Pearl Museum on Tahiti is the only museum in the world devoted entirely to pearls. The unique presentations about Tahitian Cultured Pearls describe and demonstrate the history and practice of cultivating pearls as well as their place in art, history, mythology, and religion.
- The traditional method of "stone fishing" is still performed for special
festivals. Dozens of outrigger canoes form a semicircle, and men in the
canoes beat the water with stones tied to ropes. The frightened fish are
then driven towards the beach and the men jump from the canoes
yelling and beating the water with their hands to drive the fish ashore.
- The translation of Papeete (Tahiti’s capital) is "water basket".
- The ultimate private island escape, Motu Tapu is the most photographed isle in the South Pacific. This tiny motu, just a few hundred yards from the main island of Bora Bora, is best described as the world's most perfect to relax.
- The word tattoo originated in Tahiti. The legend of Tohu, the god of tattoo, describes painting all the oceans’ fish in beautiful colors and patterns. In Polynesian culture, tattoos have long been considered signs of beauty, and in earlier times were ceremoniously applied when reaching adolescence.
- There are more hotel rooms in a typical Las Vegas hotel than on all
118 islands of French Polynesia.
- There are no poisonous snakes or insects in French Polynesia.
- Those things that look like mail boxes outside the homes of Tahitian
residents are not for mail, but for French bread delivery. Residents get a
fresh loaf dropped off twice a day. But alas, they must go to the post
office to retrieve their mail!
For more information contact:
Tahiti Tourisme,
300 Continental Blvd.,
Ste. 160, El Segundo, Calif. 90245
Tel: 800-365-4949 (U.S.)
Fax: 310-414-8490
Web site: www.Tahiti-Tourisme.com
Email: info@tahiti-tourisme.com |
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