Marquesas Islands
149585
224294515
2008-07-08T05:30:30Z
71.62.199.158
/* In Western culture */
:''Marquesas redirects here. For the uninhabited island group in the U.S. State of Florida see [[Marquesas Keys]].''
{{Infobox Islands
| name = Marquesas Islands
| image name = Flag of Marquesas Islands.svg
| image caption = Flag of the Marquesas Islands
| image size = 150px
| locator map = Fp-map.png
| native name = Îles Marquises / Te Fenua ‘Enata/Te Henua Kenana
| native name link = French language
| nickname =
| location = [[Pacific Ocean]]
| coordinates =
| archipelago = [[Polynesia]]
| total islands = 14
| major islands = [[Nuku Hiva]], [[Ua Pu]], [[Ua Huka]], [[Hiva Oa]], [[Fatu Hiva]]
| area = 1049 km²
| highest mount = Mount [[Oave]] ([[Ua Pu]])
| elevation = 1,230 m
| country = France
| country admin divisions title = [[Overseas collectivity]]
| country admin divisions = [[French Polynesia]]
| country capital city = Tai o Hae
| country largest city =
| country largest city population =
| country leader title =
| country leader name =
| population = 8,632<ref name=census>{{fr icon}} {{cite web| url=http://www.ispf.pf/(k1aciwf4z0fyap45ghzhgm55)/stat/demo/rp2007/pdfs/poplegales2007.pdf| title=Recensement de la population 2007| author=Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF)|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-12-02}}</ref>
| population as of = Aug. 2007 census
| density = 8
| ethnic groups =
| additional info =
}}
[[Image:Karta FP Marquesa isl.PNG|thumb|270px|right|Map of the Marquesas Islands]]
The '''Marquesas Islands''' ([[French language|French]]: ''Îles Marquises'' or ''Archipel des Marquises'' or ''Marquises''; [[Marquesan language|Marquesan]]: ''Te Henua (K)enana'' ([[North Marquesan language|North Marquesan]]) and ''Te Fenua `Enata'' ([[South Marquesan language|South Marquesan]]), both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of [[volcano|volcanic]] [[island]]s in [[French Polynesia]], an [[overseas collectivity]] of [[France]] in the southern [[Pacific Ocean]]. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W. The highest point is the peak of Mount [[Oave]] (French: ''Mont Oave'') on [[Ua Pu]] island at 1,230 m (4,035 ft) above sea level.<ref>[http://www.polynesie-francaise.pref.gouv.fr/hc/iles-marquises/dossiers.asp Communes des Îles Marquises]</ref>
The Marquesas Islands form one of the five [[Administrative divisions of French Polynesia|administrative divisions]] (''subdivisions administratives'') of French Polynesia. The capital of the Marquesas Islands administrative subdivision is the settlement of [[Tai o Hae|Taiohae]] on the island of [[Nuku Hiva]]. The population of the Marquesas Islands was 8,632 at the August 2007 census.<ref name=census />
== History ==
{{main|Marquesas history}}
The first recorded settlers of the Marquesas were [[Polynesians]], who, from [[archæology|archæological]] evidence, are believed to have arrived before [[100]] AD. [[Ethnology|Ethnological]] and [[Historical linguistics|linguistic]] evidence suggests that they likely arrived from the region of [[Tonga]] and [[Samoa]].
The islands were given their name by the Spanish explorer [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]] who reached them on [[21 July]] [[1595]]. He named them after his patron, [[García Hurtado de Mendoza, Marquis of Cañete]], who was [[Viceroy of Peru]] at the time. Mendaña visited first [[Fatu Hiva]] and then [[Tahuata]] before continuing on to the [[Solomon Islands]].
The [[United States of America|American]] navigator Capt. [[Joseph Ingraham]] first visited the northern Marquesas while commanding the [[brig]] ''[[Hope (ship)|Hope]]'' in [[1791]], giving them the name '''Washington Islands'''. In [[1813]], Commodore [[David Porter (naval officer)|David Porter]] claimed [[Nuku Hiva]] for the [[United States]], but the [[United States Congress]] never ratified that claim, and in [[1842]], [[France]], following a successful [[military]] operation on behalf of a native chief (named [[Iotete]]) who claimed to be [[monarch|king]] of the whole of the island of Tahuata, took possession of the whole group, establishing a settlement (abandoned in [[1859]]) on Nuku Hiva. French control over the group was reestablished in [[1870]], and later incorporated into the territory of [[French Polynesia]].
Of all the major island groups of the [[Oceania|Pacific]], the Marquesas Islands suffered the greatest population decline as a result of [[disease]]s brought by [[Europe]]an explorers, reducing the estimated sixteenth century population of over 100,000 inhabitants, to about 20,000 by the middle of the nineteenth century, and to just over 2,000 by the beginning of the 1900s. During the course of the twentieth century, the population increased to 8,712 at the November [[2002]] census,<ref>{{fr icon}} {{cite web| url=http://www.ispf.pf/(dmnby2yem1pxbr45eg22pz45)/stat/demo/rp2002/legale/tables/dec1.xls| title=Tableau I – Population des subdivisions administratives de Polynésie française| author=Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF)|format=XLS|accessdate=2007-12-02}}</ref> not including the Marquesan community residing on [[Tahiti]], but it decreased slightly to 8,632 at the August [[2007]] census.<ref name=census />
The sparsely populated Marquesas Islands, located 1,371 km (852 miles) from [[Tahiti]], the most populated island and dominant political center of French Polynesia, often feel neglected by politicians in Tahiti, and some favor a direct link with [[Paris]] instead of depending from [[Papeete]]. Several prominent Marquesan political leaders have repeatedly declared themselves in favor of separating from French Polynesia and remaining within the French Republic in case French Polynesian political leaders in [[Tahiti]] would proclaim the independence of French Polynesia.<ref name=secession>[http://www.rue89.com/2007/12/23/polemique-a-tahiti-les-marquises-veulent-se-rapprocher-de-paris?page=0 Polémique à Tahiti: les Marquises veulent se rapprocher de Paris]</ref> This has generated controversies in Tahiti where pro-independence Tahitian leaders have accused the French central government of encouraging the separation of the Marquesas Islands from French Polynesia.<ref name=secession />
== Geography ==
{{main|Marquesas geography}}
[[Image:Rainforest Fatu Hiva.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Rainforest on Fatu-Hiva.]]
The Marquesas Islands are the island group farthest from any continent in the world, lying between 900 and 1,200 km (550 and 725 miles) south of the [[equator]] and 1,371 km (852 miles) northeast of [[Tahiti]]. They fall naturally into two geographical divisions: the northern group, consisting of [[Eiao|Eïao]], [[Hatutu]] ([[Hatutaa]]), [[Motu One (Marquesas Islands)|Motu One]], and the islands centered around the large island of [[Nuku Hiva]]: [[Motu Iti (Marquesas Islands)|Motu Iti]] ([[Hatu Iti]]), [[Ua Pu]], [[Motu Oa|Motu `Oa]] and [[Ua Huka]], and the southern group of [[Fatu Uku]], [[Tahuata]], [[Moho Tani]] ([[Motane]]), [[Terihi]], [[Fatu Hiva]] and [[Motu Nao]] (Thomasset Rock), clustered around the main island of [[Hiva Oa|Hiva `Oa]].
With a combined land area of 1,049 km² (405 sq. miles), the Marquesas are among the largest island groups of French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva being the second largest island in the entire territory, after [[Tahiti]]. With the exception of Motu One, all the islands of the Marquesas are of volcanic origin.
In contrast to the common perception of lush tropical vegetation that goes culturally hand-in-hand with the appellation "Polynesia", the Marquesas are remarkably dry islands. Although the islands lie within the tropics, they are the first major break in the prevailing easterly winds spawned from the extraordinarily dry (from an atmospheric perspective) [[Humboldt Current]]. Because of this, the islands are subject to frequent drought conditions, and only those which reach highest into the clouds (generally, above about 750 m/2,500 ft above sea level) have reliable precipitation. This has led to historical fluctuations in water supply, which have played a crucial rôle in the sustainability of human populations in certain sections of the various islands throughout the archipelago. This is especially evident in the low historical population of Ua Huka (maximum elevation 857 m/2,812 ft.) and the intermittent inhabitability of Eiao (maximum elevation 576 m/1,890 ft.).
The Marquesas Islands are thought to have formed by a center of upwelling [[magma]] called the [[Marquesas hotspot]].
=== Islands of the Marquesas ===
====Northern Marquesas====
[[Image:UaHuka Pointe Matau.jpg|thumb|right|320px|[[Ua Huka]]]]
*[[Eiao]]
*[[Hatutu]]
*[[Motu Iti (Marquesas Islands)|Motu Iti]]
*[[Motu Oa]]
*[[Motu One (Marquesas Islands)|Motu One]]
*[[Nuku Hiva]]
*[[Ua Huka]]
*[[Ua Pu]]
====Southern Marquesas====
[[Image:HivaOa BaieDesTraitres 20061110.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Hiva Oa|Hiva `Oa]]]]
*[[Fatu Hiva]]
*[[Fatu Huku]]
*[[Hiva Oa]]
*[[Moho Tani]]
*[[Motu Nao]]
*[[Tahuata]]
*[[Terihi]]
====Seamounts====
There are also a number of [[seamount]]s or shoals, located primarily in the area of the northern Marquesas. Among these are:
*[[Clark Bank]]
*[[Hinakura Bank]]
*[[Lawson Bank]]
{{seealso|Marquesas Islands names|Marquesas geology}}
=== Geology ===
{{main|Marquesas geology}}
{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}
[[Image:FatuIva BasalticRocksAboveHanavave 20061111.jpg|left|300px|Basaltic rock]]
With the exception of [[Motu One (Marquesas Islands)|Motu One]], all of the Marquesas Islands are [[high island]]s. Motu One is a [[low island]], comprising two small [[sand bank]]s awash on a [[coral]] [[reef]]. Unlike the majority of the islands of French Polynesia, the Marquesas are not surrounded by protective fringing reefs. Except for at Motu One, and in bays and other protected areas, the only other coral in the Marquesas is found in a rather strange place: on the top of the island of [[Fatu Huku]].
The [[South Equatorial Current]] lashes the islands mercilessly, which has led to [[sea-cave]]s dotting the islands' shores. Except for where the valleys empty into the small bays, the islands are remarkable for their mountain ridges, which end abruptly as cliffs where they meet the sea.
The islands are estimated to range in age from the youngest, Fatu Hiva (1.3my) to the oldest, Eiao (6my).
== Administration ==
{{seealso|Flags of the Marquesas Islands}}
The Marquesas Islands do not have a provincial or regional assembly. Administratively, they form a [[Decentralization|deconcentrated]] subdivision of both the French central State and the government of French Polynesia. As a deconcentrated subdivision of the French central State, the Marquesas Islands form the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas (French: ''subdivision administrative des Marquises''), one of [[French Polynesia]]'s five [[Administrative divisions of French Polynesia|administrative subdivisions]]. The head of the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas is the ''administrateur d'Etat'' ("State administrator"), generaly simply known as ''administrateur'', also sometimes called ''chef de la subdivision administrative'' ("head of the administrative subdivision"). The ''administrateur'' is a civil servant under the authority of the [[High Commissioner of the French Republic in French Polynesia]] in [[Papeete]]. The ''administrateur'' and his staff sit in [[Taiohae]], on the island of [[Nuku Hiva]], which has become the administrative capital of the Marquesas Islands, having replaced [[Atuona]] on the island of [[Hiva Oa]] which was previously the capital.
[[Image:FatuIva Hanavave Port 20061111.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Hanavave]]
Acting as the representative of the French central State and delegate of Papeete's High Commissioner, the ''administrateur'' of the Marquesas is notably in charge of:
*offering legal advice to the [[commune in France|communes]] (municipalities) of the Marquesas and verifying the legality of decisions made by the communes
*issuing official documents (ID cards, driving licences, etc.), applying immigration rules, organizing elections
*managing security (coordination of [[National Gendarmerie|gendarmerie]] forces, handling of major crises such as natural disasters, etc.)
*overseeing the public services of the French central State which are present in the Marquesas Islands (such as the correctional facility on Nuku Hiva)
As a deconcentrated subdivision of the government of French Polynesia, the Marquesas Islands form the ''circonscription des Marquises'' ("district of the Marquesas"), one of French Polynesia's four ''circonscriptions'' ("districts") created in 2000 by the [[Assembly of French Polynesia]] to serve as deconcentrated subdivisions of the government of French Polynesia in the islands away from [[Tahiti]] and [[Moorea]]. The head of the ''circonscription des Marquises'' is the ''tavana hau'', known as ''administrateur territorial'' in French (English: "territorial administrator"), but the [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]] title ''tavana hau'' is most often used. The ''tavana hau'' is the direct representative of the [[President of French Polynesia|president of French Polynesia's government]] who appoints him. The ''tavana hau'' and his staff sit in Taiohae on Nuku Hiva, same as the State administrator.
The ''tavana hau'' is notably in charge of:
*coordinating the work of French Polynesian administrations which are present in the Marquesas Islands (such as the French Polynesian administrations in charge of roads, fisheries, etc.)
*ensuring the enforcement of acts passed by the Assembly of French Polynesia and decisions taken by the government of French Polynesia
*evaluating the performance of French Polynesian civil servants and sending the evaluations to the responsible ministries in Papeete
*acting as a liaison between the local population and the government of French Polynesia in Papeete
The Marquesas Islands also form the electoral district of the Marquesas Islands, one of [[French Polynesia]]'s six electoral districts for the [[Assembly of French Polynesia]] (see also [[Politics of French Polynesia]]).
The Marquesas Islands are subdivided in six [[commune in France|communes]] (municipalities). In each of the six communes the local residents elect a municipal council and a mayor in charge of managing local affairs within the commune. Three communes ([[Nuku-Hiva]], [[Ua Pu|Ua-Pou]], and [[Hiva-Oa]]) are further subdivided into [[Associated communes of France|associated communes]] due to their larger population. The communes and associated communes are the only elected councils in the Marquesas since there does not exist a provincial or regional assembly for the entire archipelago. Municipal elections are held every six years on the same day as municipal elections in the rest of France (see [[French municipal elections, 2008]] for the last municipal elections).
Here are the six communes in the Marquesas Islands (the associated communes are not shown):
[[Image:Marquesas-administrative.png|left|270px|Communes of the Marquesas Islands]]
<table>
<td valign="top">
#[[Nuku-Hiva]]
#[[Ua Huka|Ua-Huka]]
#[[Ua Pu|Ua-Pou]]
#[[Hiva-Oa]]
#[[Tahuata]]
#[[Fatu Hiva|Fatu-Hiva]]
</td>
</tr>
</table>
{{clear}}
== Language ==
{{main|Marquesan language}}
Although [[French language|French]] and [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]] are the only official languages of French Polynesia, and therefore of the Marquesas Islands as well, the [[Marquesan languages]], in their various forms, remain the primary means of communication within the archipelago.
'''[[Marquesan language|Marquesan]]''' is a collection of [[Polynesian languages|East-Central Polynesian]] dialects, of the [[Marquesic languages|Marquesic]] group, spoken in the [[Marquesas Islands]] of [[French Polynesia]]. They are usually classified into two groups, [[North Marquesan language|North Marquesan]] and [[South Marquesan language|South Marquesan]], roughly along geographic lines.
The North Marquesan dialects are spoken on the islands of [[Ua Pu]] and [[Nuku Hiva]], and South Marquesan dialects on the islands of [[Hiva Oa|Hiva `Oa]], [[Tahuata]] and [[Fatu Hiva]]. The dialects of [[Ua Huka]] are often incorrectly classified as North Marquesan; they are instead transitional. While the island is in the northern Marquesas group, the dialects show more morphological and phonological affinities with South Marquesan. The North Marquesan dialects are sometimes considered two separate languages: North Marquesan and [[Tai Pi Marquesan language|Tai Pi Marquesan]], the latter being spoken in the valleys of the eastern third of the island of Nuku Hiva, in the ancient province of [[Tai Pi (province)|Tai Pi]].
The most striking feature of the Marquesan languages is their almost universal replacement of the {{IPA|/r/}} or {{IPA|/l/}} of other Polynesian languages by a {{IPA|/ʔ/}} (glottal stop).
Like other Polynesian languages, the phonology of Marquesan languages is characterized by a paucity of consonants and a comparative abundance of vowels.
== Demographics ==
{{main|Marquesas demographics}}
[[Image:Pareu haka.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Marquesans performing a dance]]
The population of the Marquesas Islands at the August [[2007]] census was 8,632,<ref name=census /> which is 80 people less than at the November [[2002]] census, and far lower than 16th century estimates which put the population at over 100,000. Much of the population was wiped out by [[Smallpox|Small pox]] between 1600 and 1900, when the population was counted at just under 2,000.
===Historical population===
{| align="center" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 1px solid #999; border-right: 2px solid #999; border-bottom:2px solid #999; background: #f3fff3"
! [[1971]] !! [[1977]] !! [[1983]] !! [[1988]] !! [[1996]] !! [[2002]] !! [[2007]]
|-
| align=center| 5,593 || align=center| 5,419 || align=center| 6,548 || align=center| 7,358 || align=center| 8,064 || align=center| 8,712 || align=center| 8,632
|-
| colspan=13 align=center| <small>Official figures from past censuses.<ref name=census /> <ref>[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jopdf/common/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&dateJO=20030805&numTexte=27&pageDebut=13481&pageFin=13484 2002 census]</ref> <ref>[http://www.ispf.pf/(bjc4kf55exmdy4j5b2tm4b23)/stat/demo/rp2002/retro/tables/retro1_2.xls 1971, 1977, 1983, 1988, and 1996 censuses]</ref>
|}
== Communications ==
===Airports===
There are four airports in the Marquesas, one each on the islands of Nuku Hiva, Ua Pu, Ua Huka, and Hiva Oa. The terrain of Tahuata is too irregular to allow for the construction of a landing strip without significant investment, and while the upland plateau of central Fatu Hiva is large enough to permit the construction of an airstrip, the island's minuscule population makes such an exercise of dubious benefit.
===Telecommunications===
The Marquesas are served by [[telephone]] as well as by [[radio]] and [[television]] mainly from [[Tahiti]]. Recent additions include the "Vini" a mobile phone service that, in about 6 years has expanded to cover most of the populated islands. "Mana" An internet server with DSL Broadband that is expanding with Wifi stations too.
{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}
== Culture ==
[[Image:Marquesan chiefess.jpg|right|340px]]
{{main|Marquesan culture}}
The Marquesas Islands were once a major center of eastern [[Polynesia]]n civilization.
== Biology ==
The [[ecosystem]] of the Marquesas has been devastated in some areas by the activities of [[feral]] [[livestock]]. As a first step in preserving what remains, the [[Marquesan Nature Reserves]] were created in [[1992]].
{{seealso|Fauna of the Marquesas Islands|Flora of the Marquesas Islands}}
== In Western culture ==
*Famous French painter [[Paul Gauguin]] and Belgian singer [[Jacques Brel]] spent the last years of their lives in the Marquesas, and are buried there. Brel composed a famous song, ''Les Marquises'', about the Marquesas Islands, his last home.
*The Marquesas provided inspiration to American novelist [[Herman Melville]], whose experiences in the Marquesas formed the basis for his novel ''[[Typee]]''. (Despite some sources, [[Omoo]] is based in the [[Society Islands]], not in the Marquesas.)
*[[Robert Louis Stevenson]] visited the Marquesas in [[1888]], and wrote about his experiences and impressions there in [[1900]], in a book called [http://www.sharebook.co.kr/stevenson/sseas10.htm ''In the South Seas''].
*[[Frederick O'Brien]] wrote a [[1919]] book [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14384 ''White Shadows in the South Seas''] based on his experiences in the Marquesas. This book was also adapted into an [[MGM]] movie of [[1928]].
*[[Thor Heyerdahl]] wrote his book ''[[Fatu Hiva (book)|Fatu Hiva]]'' during a year-long stay on the island.
*The island group is also mentioned in passing in the [[Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)|Crosby, Stills & Nash]] song, "[[Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash song)|Southern Cross]]".
*The Marquesas Islands temporarily received an international spotlight in the [[United States]] when the reality TV show ''[[Survivor: Marquesas]]'' was filmed on [[Nuku Hiva]]. It was the fifth installment of the TV series ''[[Survivor (US TV series)|Survivor]]''.
*In the book ''In the Heart of the Sea'', it is detailed that the Marquesas were near by where the ''[[Whaleship Essex]]'' had been destroyed. They feared rumours of [[cannibalism]], war and ritualized [[homosexuality]] on the island, however, and instead chose a much longer route to South America.
== See also ==
[[Image:Hakahau.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Hakahau]]
* [[Administrative divisions of France]]
* [[French overseas departments and territories]]
* [[Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans]]
* [[Jacques Brel]]
* [[Paul Gauguin]]
* [[Politics of French Polynesia]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commonscat|Marquesas Islands}}
*[http://www.marquises.pf/2index.htm Official website Les îles Marquises en polynésie française]
*[http://www.polynesie-francaise.pref.gouv.fr/hc/iles-marquises/index.asp Administrative divisions of the Marquesas Islands]
*[http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/1946/ Effects of the 1946 Aleutian Tsunami on the Marquesas Is.]
*[http://www.southpacific.org/text/finding_tahiti.html Finding French Polynesia]
*[http://ravenel.si.edu/botany/pacificislandbiodiversity/marquesasflora/ Flora of the Marquesas Islands]
*[http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/fr_polynesia/about_destin/marquesas_isl.html Pacific Islands Travel's Marquesas Page]
*[http://www.polynesia.com/islands/marquesas.html Polynesian Cultural Center's Marquesas Islands information page]
*[http://rove.to/marquesas-islands/ Satellite Images of the Marquesas Islands]
*[http://www.TahitiTourism.com Tahiti Tourism board website]
*[http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/lgcolor/mqcolor.htm WorldAtlas.com's map of the Marquesas--includes most of the islands]
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