Fascinating Facts about French Polynesia

French Polynesia is made up entirely of islands, with no land boundaries, though some island nations possess land boundaries. Its closest neighbor is Kiribati.
French Polynesia covers over two million square miles of the South Pacific Ocean and is comprised of five great archipelagos with 118 islands.
The word for hello is ia ora na (hello). The Polynesian people are known to be very friendly and hospitable. The group was once known as the Society Islands.
Hawaii is said to get 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.
Put a tiare (Tahiti's fragrant white national flower) behind one ear -- left side you're taken, right if you're looking.
James Michener's mythical island of Bali Hai is likened to Moorea, meaning "yellow lizard", a name taken from a family of chiefs is now known as "The Island of Love". Bora Bora is known as "The Romantic Island. Papeete (Tahiti's capital) means "water basket".
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.
Beautiful black pearls are indigenous only in the Tuomotu Islands of French Polynesia. 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 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 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 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 no poisonous snakes or insects in French Polynesia.
The 'mail boxes' outside the Tahitian homes are for French bread delivery. Residents get a fresh loaf dropped off twice a day, but must go to the post office to get the mail!