Leeward Islands (Society Islands)

17°32′S 149°50′W / 17.533°S 149.833°W

This article is about the western islands of French Polynesia. For the Caribbean island group, see Leeward Islands.

Leeward Islands

Native name: Îles Sous-le-vent (French) Fenua Raro Mata’i (Tahitian)
Flag of the Leeward Islands[1][verification needed]
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Archipelago	Society Islands
Total islands	9
Major islands	Raiatea Bora Bora Huahine Tahaa
Area	404 km2 (156 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,017 m (3337 ft)
Highest point	Tefatua
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Largest settlement	Uturoa (pop. 8,735, urban)
Demographics
Population	36,007[2] (Aug. 2022 census)
Pop. density	89/km2 (231/sq mi)

The Leeward Islands (French: Îles Sous-le-vent, French pronunciation: [il suləvɑ̃], lit. 'Islands Under-the-Wind'; Tahitian: Fenua Raro Mata’i) are the western part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France, in the South Pacific Ocean. They lie south of the Line Islands (part of Kiribati), east of the Cooks and north of the Austral Islands (also part of French Polynesia). Their area is around 404 km² (156 sq mi) and their population is over 36,000.^[2]

The first European to encounter the archipelago was British naval officer James Cook on 12 April 1769 during a British expedition the purpose of which was to observe the transit of Venus. He later revisited the islands twice more. It is a common misconception that he named the Leeward group of islands "Society" in honor of the Royal Society. However, Cook recorded in his journal that he named the islands “Society” because they lie close to each other.^[3]

In 1840, France declared a protectorate over Tahiti. In 1847, the British and French signed the Jarnac Convention and these islands became a colony of France in 1888 (eight years after the Windward Islands did). There were many native resistance movements and conflicts in reaction to this annexation, known as the Leewards War, which continued until 1897.^[4][5]

The islands are mountainous, consisting of volcanic rock. They are formed of trachyte, dolerite and basalt. There are raised coral beds high up the mountains, and lava occurs in a variety of forms, even in solid flows. Volcanic activity ceased so long ago that the craters have been almost entirely obliterated by erosion.

The Leeward Islands that lie more to the east are a mainly volcanic island cluster:

• Bora Bora (Tahitian: Vavaʻu), known for its tourism industry and World War II-era United States naval base
• Huahine (Tahitian: Mataʻirea), the easternmost island of the group; split at high tide into the northern Huahine Nui ("big Huahine") and southern Huahine Iti ("small Huahine")
• Maupiti (Tahitian: Maurua)
• Tupai atoll
• Raiatea (Tahitian: Havaʻi or Ioretea), the largest island in the group, holding the archipelago's administrative center (Uturoa) and tallest point (Mount Tefatua)
• Tahaʻa (Tahitian: Uporu), which lies just north of Uturoa

The westernmost Leeward Islands comprise a three atoll group: Manuae (also known as Scilly Atoll); Motu One atoll (also known as Bellinghausen), the most northerly of the Leeward Islands; and Maupihaa atoll (also known as Mopelia) to the southeast.

Flora includes breadfruit, pandanus, and coconut palms. The limited terrestrial fauna includes feral pigs, rats, and small lizards. There are several species of freshwater fish inhabiting the small streams on the islands, and the fringing coral reefs around the islands contain a dazzling array of fish and other salt-water-dwelling species.

The archipelago comprises an administrative division (French: subdivision administrative) of French Polynesia. The capital of the Leeward Islands administrative subdivision is Uturoa. The Leeward Islands (subdivision administrative des Îles Sous-le-vent) are one of French Polynesia's five administrative subdivisions. The administrative subdivision is coextensive with the electoral district of the Leeward Islands, one of French Polynesia's six electoral districts for the Assembly of French Polynesia.

Uturoa, Tumaraa, and Taputapuatea communes are all on Raiatea island.

Six of the seven communes (out of French Polynesia's 48 communes) have banded together in a "community of communes" (French: communauté de communes Havaʻi, CCH) an indirectly elected intercommunal council formed in 2012 by all the communes in the administrative subdivision (circumscription) of the Leeward Islands, with the exception of Bora-Bora, which preferred to remain separate for financial reasons. Unlike in metropolitan France and its overseas regions, it is not mandatory for the communes in French Polynesia to join an intercommunal council. The three intercommunal councils in existence as of 2022 (including the CCH), all formed on a voluntary basis.

Tourism is the mainstay of the economy. Agriculturally, the major products are copra, sugar, rum, mother-of-pearl, and vanilla.

Attribution:

•   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Society Islands". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 320.

•   Media related to Leeward Islands (Society Islands) at Wikimedia Commons