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Society Islands
 
 
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The Society Islands are a group of island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
s in the south Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
. They are an administrative part of French Polynesia
French Polynesia

French Polynesia is a France overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory ....
. The archipelago
Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian language arcipelago , derived ultimately from Greek language arkhon and pelagos ....
 is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook
James Cook

Captain James Cook Royal Society Royal Navy was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer, ultimately rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy....
 in honor of the Royal Society
Royal Society

The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence....
, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands; however, Cook states in his journal that he called the islands Society "as they lay contiguous to one another".

The islands are divided geographically, politically and administratively into two groups:

The islands became a French protectorate
Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans

Indian Ocean IslandsThe following islands are in the Indian Ocean*R?union - *Mayotte - *French Southern and Antarctic Lands **Amsterdam Island ...
 in 1843 and a colony
Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a Territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies....
 in 1880.






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The Society Islands are a group of island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
s in the south Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
. They are an administrative part of French Polynesia
French Polynesia

French Polynesia is a France overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory ....
. The archipelago
Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian language arcipelago , derived ultimately from Greek language arkhon and pelagos ....
 is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook
James Cook

Captain James Cook Royal Society Royal Navy was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer, ultimately rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy....
 in honor of the Royal Society
Royal Society

The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence....
, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands; however, Cook states in his journal that he called the islands Society "as they lay contiguous to one another".

The islands are divided geographically, politically and administratively into two groups:
  • Windward Islands
    Windward Islands (Society Islands)

    The Windward Islands are the eastern group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean....
     (Īles du Vent) (listed from east to west)
    • Mehetia
      Mehetia

      Mehetia or Meetia is a volcano island in the Windward Islands, in the east of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. This island is a very young active stratovolcano 110 kilometres east of Taiarapu Peninsula of Tahiti....
    • Tahiti
      Tahiti

      O Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward Islands group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean....
    • Moorea
      Moorea

      Moorea is a high island in French Polynesia, part of the Society Islands, 17 km northwest of Tahiti. Its position is . Moorea means "yellow lizard" in Tahitian language....
    • Maiao
      Maiao

      Maiao is an 8.8 km? island formation located 78 km southwest of Moorea and one of the Windward Islands in French Polynesia. The island formation consists of one high island with a peak elevation of 154 meters and a low island that winds along the base of the high island....
    • Tetiaroa
      Tetiaroa

      Tetiaroa, one of the Society Islands, is an atoll located 59 km due north of Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia located on the island of Tahiti....
  • Leeward Islands
    Leeward Islands (Society Islands)

    The Leeward Islands are part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Oceania. The archipelago comprises an Administrative divisions of French Polynesia of French Polynesia....
     (Īles Sous-le-Vent)
    • Huahine
      Huahine

      Huahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands group ....
    • Bora Bora
      Bora Bora

      Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward Islands group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean....
    • Raiatea
      Raiatea

      Somewhat smaller than Tahiti, Raiatea is the second largest of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. The proper spelling of the name, rarely used though, in the Tahitian language is Ra?iatea, meaning bright sky; Ulieta is an obsolete transcription commonly used in the 19th century....
    • Tahaa
      Tahaa

      Tahaa is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The islands of Tahaa and neighboring Raiatea are enclosed by the same coral reef, and may once have been a single island....
    • Maupiti
      Maupiti

      Maupiti is a small coral atoll with a volcanic island in its midst. It is located to the west of the Leeward Islands in French Polynesia. It is the westernmost volcanic high island in the archipelago, 40 km west of Bora Bora....
    • Tupai
      Tupai

      Tupai is a low-lying atoll in Society Islands, French Polynesia. It lies 19 km to the north of Bora Bora and belongs to the Leeward Islands ....
    • Mopelia
      Maupihaa

      Maupihaa, also known as Mopelia, is an atoll in the Leeward Islands of the Society Islands. This atoll is located 72 km southeast of Manuae , its nearest neighbor....
    • Scilly
    • Motu One
      Motu One (Society Islands)

      Motu One, also known as Bellinghausen, is an atoll in the Leeward Islands of the Society Islands. Motu One is located 550 km northwest from Tahiti and 72 km northeast of Manuae, its closest neighbor....
       (Bellinghausen)


The islands became a French protectorate
Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans

Indian Ocean IslandsThe following islands are in the Indian Ocean*R?union - *Mayotte - *French Southern and Antarctic Lands **Amsterdam Island ...
 in 1843 and a colony
Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a Territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies....
 in 1880. They have a population of 227,807 inhabitants (as of August 2007 census). They cover a land area of .

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