People of the Pacific (POP Cultures)

Hawai’i encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian archipelago, which is comprised of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 mi (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight main islands are (in order from northwest to southeast): Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui and the Island of Hawai’i. The last is the largest island in the group; it is often called the “Big Island” or “Hawai’i Island” to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago.

The islands of French Polynesia make up a total land area of 3,521 sq km (1,359 sq mi), scattered over more than 2,000 km (1,200 mi) of ocean in the South Pacific. 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, in the Society Islands, is the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the collectivity, Pape’ete. About 68% of the population of the islands lived in Pape’ete in 2012. Although not an integral part of its territory, Clipperton Island was administered from French Polynesia until 2007. The highest point of French Polynesia is Mount Orohena in Tahiti.

Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is a small volcanic island that encompasses about 67 sq mi of land mass, and at its highest point rises to about 1,700 feet. According to research and oral traditions, it was once covered with trees, which were all cut down, possibly to aid in the construction and transportation of the almost 900 moai or stone monuments for which Easter Island is most famous.

The Cook Islands were first settled in the 6th century by Polynesian people who migrated from Tahiti in the northeast. This group of islands are in the South Pacific, northeast of New Zealand, between French Polynesia and American Samoa. There are 15 major islands spread over 2,200,000 sq km (849,425 sq mi) of ocean, divided into two distinct groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands made up of coral atolls.

American Samoa, located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Samoa, consists of five main islands and two coral atolls. The largest and most populous island is Tutuila, with the Manuʻa Islands, Rose Atoll, and Swains Island also included in the territory. American Samoa is part of the Samoan Islands chain, located west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and some 300 miles south of Tokelau. To the west is the Wallis and Futuna group. The total land area of American Samoa is 199 sq km (76.8 sq mi).