The island consists of two roughly round portions centered on volcanic mountains, connected by a short isthmus. It is some 28 miles long at the widest point, covers 1042 km square (some 600 square miles), with the highest elevation being 7,320 feet above sea level.
Tahiti is the most populous island of French Polynesia, containing some 70% of its population. The island is served by Faaa International Airport.
The vegetation is lush rain forest. The wet season is November through April.
History
The native population is Polynesian, and is estimated to have settled on the island sometime between 300 and 800 AD, although some estimates place the date earlier.
The fertile island soil combined with fishing provided ample food for the population with ease. The relaxed and contented nature of the local culture much impressed early European visitors, and has been somewhat romantisized since.
European Contact
Although the islands were first spotted by a Spanish ship in 1606, Spain made no effort to trade with or colonize with the island.
Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, landed on Tahiti in 1767. In 1774 Captain James Cook visited the island, and estimated the population at that time to be some 200,000.
After this European ships landed on the island with ever greater frequency, causing significiant disruption to the traditional society and introducing Christianity and venereal diseases. The best-known of these ships was the HMS Bounty, whose crew mutinied shortly after leaving Tahiti.
In 1842 the kingdom of Tahiti was declared a French protectorate.
In 1880, King Pomare V (1842-1891) ceded sovereignty to France.
French painter Paul Gauguin lived on Tahiti in the 1890s and painted many Tahitian subjects. Papeari has a small Gauguin museum.
Tahitians are French citizens with full civil and political rights.
Tourism is a significant industry.
As of 1998, Tahiti had a population of 131,309 inhabitants, comprised of 83% Polynesians, 11,5% Europeans, 4,3% Asians and 8% of mixed races.
Above two photos by L. Gauthier from October 1920 National Geographic Magazine
The use of postage stamps on mail first became valid on 25 October 1862, using the general stamps of the French Colonies. In 1882 a shortage of 25c stamps necessitated a surcharge on less-used values. Some of the surcharges also included the name "TAHITI". This happened again in 1884 with 5c and 10c values.
In 1892, the Navigation and Commerce issue for French Oceania became available, and in 1893, two kind of overprints were applied to the remaining stocks of regular and postage due French Colonies stamps; one type was a slanted overprint reading "TAHITI", the other was a horizontal "1893 / TAHITI". For some values of stamps, very few were left to be overprinted, and genuine overprints are quite rare, the rarest being the horizontal overprint on the 25c yellow at around US$20,000. (Most values will cost the collector around US$20 each.)
Thereafter only the stamps of French Polynesia were in regular use (see Stamps and postal history of French Polynesia). In 1903, there was a shortage of 10c stamps, and three values were surcharged with "TAHITI / 10 / CENTIMES" or "... centimes". Semi-postal stamps of French Polynesia also received a red cross and "TAHITI" overprint in 1915.Modern Tahiti
Photographs
View Raiatea Mountain. The mummies of Tahitian rulers were formerly deposited on this mountain, traditionally considered holy.
Vista with Fautaua Fall, a waterfall some 600 feet high.Postage stamps
1893 overprint of 20-centime Colonies stamp, cancelled at Papeete on 23 February 1894