Marquesas Islands

"Marquesas" redirects here. For the uninhabited island group in the U.S. state of Florida, see Marquesas Keys.
"Marquesan" redirects here. For the language, see Marquesan language.

Marquesas Islands
Native name:
Îles Marquises (French)
Te Fenua ʻEnata (South Marquesan)
Te Henua Enana (North Marquesan)
Flag of the Marquesas Islands
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates9°27′S 139°23′W / 9.450°S 139.383°W / -9.450; -139.383
ArchipelagoPolynesia
Total islands15
Major islandsNuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Hiva ʻOa, Fatu Hiva, Tahuata
Area1,049.3 km2 (405.1 sq mi)[1]
Highest elevation1,230 m (4040 ft)
Highest pointMount Oave (Ua Pou)
Administration
France
CollectivityFrench Polynesia
Largest settlementTaioha'e (pop. 2,183 (2017[2]))
Demographics
Population9,346 (2017[2])
Pop. density8.9/km2 (23.1/sq mi)
LanguagesFrench, Marquesan
Additional information
Time zone
Official nameTe Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands
TypeMixed
Criteriaiii, vi, vii, ix, x
Designated2024 (46th session)
Reference no.1707
RegionOceania

The Marquesas Islands (/mɑːrˈkeɪsəs/ mar-KAY-səss; French: Îles Marquises or Archipel des Marquises or Marquises [maʁkiz]; 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]

  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.
  2. ^ 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.
  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]
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference fast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).