Bora Bora

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This article is about the island of Bora Bora. For the administrative commune (municipality) which includes the island, see Bora-Bora.

Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora

Bora Bora (16°26′40″S, 151°45′5″WCoordinates: 16°26′40″S, 151°45′5″W) is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 260 km southwest of Papeete is surrounded by a lagoon and a fringing reef. In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano, rising to two peaks, Mt. Pahia, and the highest point, Mount Otemanu, reaching 727 meters (2,385 ft.).

The island is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of Bora-Bora, itself in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands.

As of 2002, the population was about 7,250 people. The major settlement, Vaitape is on the western side of the island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon.

The original name in the Tahitian language might be better rendered as Pora Pora, meaning "First Born".

The products of the island are mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra.

1 History
- 1.1 World War II
2 Today
3 External links

[edit] History

Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars taking over the Tahiti archipelago on September 9, 1842.

The island was settled by Tongan people about the 4th century. While the island was sighted by earlier explorers, James Cook led the first group of Europeans to visit the island in 1777.

In 1842 Bora Bora was made a protectorate of France following the actions of Admiral Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars.

[edit] World War II

Following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, the United States entered World War II. The US chose Bora Bora as a South Pacific military supply base, and an oil depot, airstrip, seaplane base, and defensive fortifications were constructed. However, the island saw no combat as the American presence on Bora Bora went uncontested over the course of the war. Although the base was officially closed on June 2, 1946, many American personnel so loved the island and the people that they refused to leave. Some had to be forcibly removed following complaints from their families.^{[citation needed]}

This World War II airstrip, which was never able to accommodate large aircraft, was French Polynesia's only international airport until Faa'a International Airport was opened in Papeete, Tahiti in 1962.

[edit] Today

Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, Bora Bora

Today the island is mainly dependent on tourism. Over the last few years seven high-end resorts have been built on motus (small islands) surrounding the lagoon.

Thirty years ago, Hotel Bora Bora built the first over the water bungalows on stilts over the lagoon and today, overwater bungalows are a standard feature of most Bora Bora resorts. These private bungalows offer stunning views of the lagoon and mountain, easy access into the lagoon and are very luxurious, spacious, and priced accordingly.

Bora Bora's main attraction is its calm and crystal-clear lagoon offering the full array of nautical activities, the most famous being the Shark and Ray Feeding Excursion. There are also land excursion, such as by 4x4 up the hills to see the old WWII cannons and get a bird's-eye-view of the multicolored lagoon.

Matira Beach and Lagoon, Bora Bora

Air Tahiti has five or six flights daily to the island from Tahiti (as well as from other islands), at a cost of about 14,000 XPF one-way. To conceptualise this price, it is equivalent to around £80 or $149.

Although French and Tahitian are the main languages spoken by the inhabitants, people in contact with tourists generally have some command of English. Most visitors to Bora Bora are American, Japanese, or European.

Public transport on the island is limited, consisting of a single bus that goes halfway around the island and back approximately every hour. Bicycles are the recommended method of transport for tourists. There are also small fun-cars for hire in the little town of Vaitape.

Bora Bora is famous for snorkeling and scuba diving in and around its lagoon. Many species of sharks and rays can be seen in the transparent water. There are a few dive operators on the island offering manta ray dives and shark-feeding dives.