Marquesas Islands

Marquesas Islands
Native name: Îles Marquises (French) / Te Fenua ʻEnata (South Marquesan) / Te Henua Enana (North Marquesan)
	Flag of the Marquesas Islands
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	9°27′S 139°23′W / 9.450°S 139.383°W
Archipelago	Polynesia
Total islands	15
Major islands	Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Hiva ʻOa, Fatu Hiva, Tahuata
Area	1,049.3 km2 (405.1 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,230 m (4040 ft)
Highest point	Mount Oave (Ua Pou)
Administration
	French Republic
Collectivity	French Polynesia
Largest settlement	Taioha'e (pop. 2,183 (2017))
Demographics
Population	9,346 (2017)
Pop. density	8.9/km2 (23.1/sq mi)
Languages	French, Marquesan
Additional information
Time zone	UTC−9:30;

The Marquesas Islands (/mɑːrˈkeɪsəs/; French: Îles Marquises or Archipel des Marquises or Marquises; Marquesan: Te Henua ʻEnana (North Marquesan) and Te Fenua ʻEnata (South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. Their highest point is the peak of Mount Oave (French: Mont Oave) on Ua Pou island, at 1,230 m (4,035 ft) above sea level.^[3]

Archaeological research suggests the islands were colonized in the 10th century AD by voyagers from West Polynesia.^[4] Over the centuries that followed, the islands have maintained a "remarkably uniform culture, biology and language".^[5] The Marquesas were named after the 16th century Spanish Viceroy of Peru, the Marquis of Cañete (Spanish: Marqués de Cañete) by navigator Álvaro de Mendaña, who visited them in 1595.

The Marquesas Islands constitute one of the five administrative divisions (subdivisions administratives) of French Polynesia. The capital of the Marquesas Islands' administrative subdivision is the town of Taiohae, on the island of Nuku Hiva. The population of the Marquesas Islands was 9,346 inhabitants at the time of the August 2017 census.^[2]

^ "R1- Population sans doubles comptes, des subdivisions, communes et communes associées de Polynésie française, de 1971 à 1996". ISPF. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française (in French). Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
^ "Communes des Îles Marquises". Haut-commissariat de la Polynésie Française. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008.
^ Allen, Melinda S. and McAlister, Andrew J., 2010, "The Hakaea Beach Site, Marquesan colonisation, and Models of East Polynesian Settlement" Archaeology in Oceania, Vol. 45, p. 54-65.[1]
^ Cite error: The named reference fast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[area-1] "R1- Population sans doubles comptes, des subdivisions, communes et communes associées de Polynésie française, de 1971 à 1996". ISPF. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2013.

[census-2] "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française (in French). Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.

[3] "Communes des Îles Marquises". Haut-commissariat de la Polynésie Française. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008.

[4] Allen, Melinda S. and McAlister, Andrew J., 2010, "The Hakaea Beach Site, Marquesan colonisation, and Models of East Polynesian Settlement" Archaeology in Oceania, Vol. 45, p. 54-65.[1]

[fast-5] Cite error: The named reference fast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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