Bora-Bora (island), French Polynesia
Bora Bora is a picturesque island located in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, situated between Australia and South America. Known for its stunning natural beauty, Bora Bora features an extinct volcano surrounded by a vibrant lagoon and a protective barrier reef. The island is part of the Leeward Islands and is renowned for its white sand beaches, clear waters, and lush green hillsides. Its population is approximately 9,000, with Vaitape serving as the largest city and administrative center.
Bora Bora has a rich history, initially inhabited by Polynesians around 850 C.E. and was known as Pora Pora, meaning "first born." The island's European discovery can be traced back to Dutch and British explorers in the 18th century. Over the years, Bora Bora has transformed into a major tourist destination, attracting visitors eager to enjoy outdoor activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, and hiking. The island experiences a tropical climate with only two seasons, and the best time to visit is from June to October. Despite its idyllic setting, Bora Bora's history includes periods of foreign influence and challenges related to nuclear testing conducted by France, which has impacted the local population.
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Bora-Bora (island), French Polynesia
Bora-Bora is an island located in the Society Islands in the territory of French Polynesia, which is located between Australia and South America. The Society Islands are volcanic landmasses that are split into the Leeward and Windward groups of islands. Bora-Bora is part of the Leeward Islands, which also includes countries such as Huahine and Raiatea; Tahiti is the best-known island of the Windward group. Bora-Bora is located more than 150 miles northwest of Tahiti and more than 2,500 miles south of the US state of Hawaii. Bora-Bora is made up of the remains of an extinct volcano surrounded by a barrier reef. It is considered one of the most beautiful islands in the world and is a popular tourist destination, known for its warm weather, clear waters, and white sand beaches. Its population was around ten thousand people in the mid-2020s.
History
Bora-Bora was known as Vava'u after the ancient inhabitants that lived on the island. Vava'u is the name of a group of islands in Tonga, and it is thought that the first people to settle Bora-Bora were originally from the Tonga islands. Polynesians inhabited Bora-Bora around 850 CE. It was known as Pora Pora at this time because the Polynesian written language had no letter B in its alphabet. Pora Pora means "first born."
According to legend, Hiro, the king of Raiatea—the second-largest island in the Society Islands after Tahiti—made his son, Ohatatama, the ruler of Bora-Bora. Because Bora-Bora is a volcanic landmass, it had little level land, which was coveted at the time. The inhabitants fought outside warriors to retain control of their land.
Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and British explorers first found the islands that would become part of French Polynesia prior to the eighteenth century. Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen is credited with first sighting Bora-Bora around 1722 during an expedition. British explorer James Cook—best known as Captain Cook—explored Bora-Bora in 1769 during his voyage to French Polynesia; he visited the island again in 1777. European traders and missionaries began to travel to Bora-Bora and the surrounding islands during this time. In 1820, the London Missionary Society set up a missionary there. The members tried to convert the inhabitants and change their religious and cultural practices, leading to the demise of some aspects of Polynesian culture. These outsiders also brought diseases, which killed many Indigenous people in Bora-Bora. The region remained independent until France annexed Bora-Bora in 1842 under the leadership of Admiral Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars. It thus became a French colony. France later annexed Tahiti in 1880.
The United States established a supply base in Bora-Bora during World War II. Although it had stationed troops and set up cannons and forts on the island, Bora-Bora was not used for combat purposes. The United States closed the base in 1946, yet the airport established during this time remained in use as an international airport until around 1961 when the Faa'a International Airport opened in Tahiti.
In the 1960s, France began to use the Polynesian islands as testing grounds for its nuclear weapons. Documents showed that nearly two hundred nuclear tests were carried out in French Polynesia from 1960 to 1996. For years, the French government had insisted that the inhabitants were not at any risk, but documents later showed that the tests contained very high levels of radiation. Officials later revealed that residents from Tahiti to Bora-Bora were exposed to high radiation levels. After years of protests, France halted its nuclear testing and began a compensation program for the people adversely affected by the radiation levels; increased cancer rates and other adverse health implications found in the region in the twenty-first century were linked to the high radiation levels.
Overview
French Polynesia consists of 118 islands. The islands are classified into five groups of islands: Austral, Gambier, Marquesas, Society, and Tuamotu. Bora-Bora is part of the Society Islands, which is further divided into the Leeward and Windward groups. Bora-Bora, part of the Leeward Islands, does not have a designated capital city, but its largest city, Vaitape, is considered the administrative center of the island. Papeete, which is located in Tahiti, is the capital city of French Polynesia. French and Tahitian are the official languages of Bora-Bora; however, English is spoken on the island because of its high tourist population.
Bora-Bora is a volcanic island surrounded by a lagoon and barrier reef. The landscape contains green hillsides filled with much vegetation, as well as black volcanic rock and coral reefs. The coastlines are bordered by white, sandy beaches that attract multitudes of tourists every year. Mount Pahia, which is 2,159 feet high, and Mount Otemanu, the island's highest point at 2,385 feet, can be found at the center of the island, along with an extinct volcano.
Bora-Bora's economy relies on the tourism industry. Numerous people travel to the islands of French Polynesia annually. It has a tropical climate and only two seasons: summer and winter. The hot and humid summer months run from November to March, while winter is from April to November. The summer and winter temperatures are about the same, around eighty degrees Fahrenheit. The most popular times to visit are from June to October. In Bora-Bora, tourists flock to the beaches to participate in water activities such as swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Hikers can scale Mount Pahia or Mount Otemanu, or navigate the forests found all over the island. The island's coast is about twenty miles around, and bikers can spend half the day traveling the entire length of the coast.
Bibliography
"Bora-Bora." Britannica, www.britannica.com/place/Bora-Bora. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Chrisafis, Angelique. "French Nuclear Tests 'Showered Vast Area of Polynesia with Radioactivity.'" Guardian, 3 July 2013, www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/03/french-nuclear-tests-polynesia-declassified. Accessed 19 Oct. 2016.
"French Polynesia Profile." BBC, 6 June 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16492623. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
"Maps of French Polynesia." WorldAtlas, 25 Feb. 2021, www.worldatlas.com/maps/french-polynesia. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.