Society Islands is a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean. The island group is part of French Polynesia, an overseas possession of France. It lies slightly east of the Cook Islands, about 4,200 miles (6,760 kilometers) southwest of San Francisco. Samuel Wallis claimed the islands for Britain (now part of the United Kingdom) in 1767. But Louis-Antoine de Bougainville claimed them for France in 1768. The group became a French protectorate in 1842, and a colony in 1880.
The Society Islands group consists of 14 islands. Tahiti and Raiatea are the largest islands. The Society Islands cover an area of about 615 square miles (1,590 square kilometers) and have a population of about 245,000.
Ancient volcanoes form many high peaks, making the land rough and mountainous. Some of the islands are low coral atolls. Papeete, on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia. It has an appearance somewhat similar to France’s cities.
See also French Polynesia; Tahiti.
