Tahiti, the largest island of the Society Islands and a part of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the South Pacific. Tahiti has an area of 386 square miles (1,000 km2) and is about 40 miles (64 km) long. The island is made up of two lofty volcanic regions connected by a low, narrow isthmus.
Most Tahitians live by subsistence farming, fishing, and the raising of export crops. There is a growing tourist trade. Papeete, the largest city and capital of French Polynesia, handles all shipping and has a jet airport. The people are largely Polynesian, though there are some Asians and Europeans. The official language is French. Tahiti's population in 1988 was 115,820; that of Papeete, 78,814 including suburbs.
Tahiti was discovered by Samuel Wallis in 1767. In the next decade it was explored by Louis Antoine de Bougainville and Captain James Cook. The island was included within a French protectorate in 1842 and a colony in 1880. In 1946 it became part of an overseas territory.
