Leeward Islands (Society Islands)

Leeward Islands

Native name: Îles Sous-le-vent (French) Fenua Raro Mata’i (Tahitian)
Flag of the Leeward Islands
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	17°32′S 149°50′W / 17.533°S 149.833°W / -17.533; -149.833
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[1] (Aug. 2022 census)
Pop. density	89/km2 (231/sq mi)

The Leeward Islands (French: Îles Sous-le-vent; Tahitian: Fenua Raro Mata’i, literally "Islands Under-the-Wind") 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 404 km² and their population is over 36,000.

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.

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

Maupiti (Tahitian name: Maurua);

Tupai atoll;

Bora Bora (Tahitian name: Vava'u), which is the best known of the Leeward Islands in the western world because of its World War II-era United States naval base and its tourism industry;

Raiatea (Tahitian names: Hava'i, or Ioretea), the largest island in the group, with Uturoa (at the northern end of the island) as the administrative centre of the Leeward Islands;
the island also has the peak with the highest elevation in the Leeward Islands, Mount Tefatua (just over 1,000 m.);

Taha'a (Tahitian name: Uporu), which lies just north of Uturoa; and

Huahine (Tahitian name: Mata'irea),the easternmost island of the group, which at high tide is divided into two: Huahine Nui ("big Huahine") to the north and Huahine Iti ("small Huahine") to the south.