Papeete

Pape'etē (Tahitian: Papeʻete, pronounced [pa.pe.ʔe.te])[4] is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Papeʻetē is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, of which Papeʻetē is the administrative capital.[5] The French High Commissioner also resides in Papeʻetē.[6]

Papeʻetē
Commune
Top: Aerial view of Pape'etē; Middle: Cathedral of Notre Dame of Papeʻetē, Presidential palace; Bottom: Pape'etēTown Hall, Bougainville Park
Location of the commune (in red) within the Windward Islands
Location of the commune (in red) within the Windward Islands
Location of Papeʻetē
Coordinates: 17°32′06″S 149°34′11″W
CountryFrance
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
SubdivisionWindward Islands
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Michel Buillard[1]
Area
1[2]
17.4 km2 (6.7 sq mi)
 • Urban
299.5 km2 (115.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[3]
26,926
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
136,771
 • Urban density460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−10:00
INSEE/Postal code
98735 /98714
Elevation0–621 m (0–2,037 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is the primary center of Tahitian and French Polynesian public and private governmental, commercial, industrial and financial services, the hub of French Polynesian tourism and a commonly used port of call.[6] The Windward Islands are themselves part of the Society Islands. The name Papeʻetē, sometimes also spelled Papeete in languages other than Tahitian,[Note 1] means "water from a basket".[7] The urban area of Papeʻetē had a total population of 136,771 inhabitants at the August 2017 census, 26,926 of whom lived in the commune of Papeʻetē proper.[3]

Geography
A 50 centimes World War II banknote (1943), printed in Papeʻetē, depicting the outline of Tahiti (rev).
A 50 centimes World War II banknote (1943), printed in Papeʻetē, depicting the outline of Tahiti (rev).

The commune of Papeʻetē is subdivided into eleven quartiers (wards):[8][9][10]

ID
Quartier		 Quartier Area
km2		 Pop.
2017-08-17		 Density
/km2		 Location
35A Manuhō'ē -
Fare'ute - Motu uta		 1.15 2,301 2,000 coast
35B Patutoa 0.44 1,653 3,748 coast
35C Taunoa 0.40 2,187 5,512 coast
35D Fāriʻipiti 0.34 1,811 5,332 near coast
35E Titioro 3.53 3,566 1,009 inland
35F Tepapa 4.63 3,407 736 inland
35G Faiere 0.87 1,933 2,213 coast
35H Pic Rouge 3.23 1,973 611 inland
35I Tīpaeru'i 1.93 4,187 2,143 coast
35J Paofai 0.60 1,638 2,743 coast
35K Mama'o 0.52 2,269 4,343 near coast
35 Papeʻetē 17.64 26,925 1,526
Papeʻetē: subdivision in 11 quartiers

Climate

Papeʻetē features a tropical monsoon climate (Am according to the Köppen climate classification) with a wet season and dry season, bordering a tropical rainforest climate, with high temperatures and humidity year round. However, precipitation is observed even during the city's dry season. The dry season is short, covering only the months of August and September. The rest of the year is wet, with the heaviest precipitation falling in the months of December and January. Sunshine is moderately high, as most precipitation comes as thunderstorms and cyclones, and does not last for long.

Climate data for Papeʻetē (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1976−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 36.0
(96.8)		 34.3
(93.7)		 35.3
(95.5)		 35.0
(95.0)		 34.5
(94.1)		 33.8
(92.8)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.9
(93.0)		 33.9
(93.0)		 33.9
(93.0)		 34.0
(93.2)		 34.3
(93.7)		 36.0
(96.8)
Average high °C (°F) 31.2
(88.2)		 31.4
(88.5)		 31.9
(89.4)		 31.8
(89.2)		 31.1
(88.0)		 30.3
(86.5)		 30.0
(86.0)		 30.0
(86.0)		 30.3
(86.5)		 30.5
(86.9)		 30.6
(87.1)		 30.4
(86.7)		 30.8
(87.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.1
(80.8)		 27.2
(81.0)		 27.6
(81.7)		 27.6
(81.7)		 26.8
(80.2)		 25.9
(78.6)		 25.6
(78.1)		 25.5
(77.9)		 25.9
(78.6)		 26.3
(79.3)		 26.6
(79.9)		 26.6
(79.9)		 26.6
(79.9)
Average low °C (°F) 23.0
(73.4)		 23.1
(73.6)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.3
(73.9)		 22.6
(72.7)		 21.6
(70.9)		 21.2
(70.2)		 21.1
(70.0)		 21.6
(70.9)		 22.1
(71.8)		 22.6
(72.7)		 22.9
(73.2)		 22.4
(72.3)
Record low °C (°F) 19.2
(66.6)		 19.2
(66.6)		 20.4
(68.7)		 20.1
(68.2)		 19.5
(67.1)		 16.9
(62.4)		 16.0
(60.8)		 17.0
(62.6)		 17.0
(62.6)		 16.0
(60.8)		 19.0
(66.2)		 19.4
(66.9)		 16.0
(60.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 317.5
(12.50)		 277.7
(10.93)		 240.2
(9.46)		 143.1
(5.63)		 149.5
(5.89)		 80.8
(3.18)		 62.7
(2.47)		 66.4
(2.61)		 64.3
(2.53)		 120.9
(4.76)		 155.2
(6.11)		 396.8
(15.62)		 2,075.1
(81.70)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 14.6 13.4 11.3 9.2 8.5 6.0 5.7 5.2 5.2 7.8 9.9 15.3 112.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 215.5 199.2 226.0 230.3 228.6 220.0 235.2 251.1 241.6 232.1 208.7 196.6 2,684.9
Source 1: Meteociel[11]
Source 2: NOAA (sun 1961–1990)[12]

History of Papeʻetē
Relocation of the post office using a Decauville railway in 1902

In 1902, it became necessary to move the post office of Papeʻetē to another location. Instead of demolishing it and rebuilding it at the new site, it was lifted from the subsoil and moved as a whole on a Decauville railway.

Previously, during the construction of the Faʻaiere water tower with a capacity of 150,000 litres for the drinking water supply of the city of Papeʻetē, a difference in altitude of 37 metres (121 ft) was overcome with a light railway laid on a 220 metres (720 ft) long inclined plane. A winch driven by a 12-horsepower Fowler or Decauville locomobile carried three narrow gauge railway trucks at a time, consuming up to 200 kilograms (440 lb) of coal per day for about sixty journeys.[13] Paul Decauville mentioned in a letter to Governor Theodore Lacascade, dated 18 June 1891, an order for "15 kilometres (9.3 mi) of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) portable rail tracks and about 12,000 francs of rolling stock, payable in three years," presumably for a tramway from Papeʻetē to Punaʻauia operated by hand or animals.[14][15]

Papeʻetē Town Hall, a replica of the Royal Palace of Papeʻetē razed in the 1960s

At the outbreak of World War I Papeʻetē was shelled by German vessels, causing loss of life and significant damage.

The growth of the city was boosted by the decision to move the French nuclear weapon test range from Algeria, which had become independent, to the atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa, some 1,500 km (930 mi) to the east of Tahiti. This was motivated, in particular, by the construction of the Faʻaʻā International Airport, the only international airport in French Polynesia, near Papeʻetē. In 1983, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built the Papeʻetē Tahiti Temple here because of its large number of members in the region. On 5 September 1995 the government of Jacques Chirac conducted the first of a series of nuclear test detonations off the shores of Moruroa. A resulting riot in Papeʻetē lasted for two days and damaged the international airport, injured 40 people, and scared away tourism for some time.[16][17] Similar rioting had occurred after another French nuclear test in the same area in 1987.

Transportation

The streets of the town center are very busy, and traffic can be a problem since they are very narrow. The Tahiti freeway starts close to the town center as Pōmare Boulevard, named after the Tahitian Royal Family of the 19th century. By air, passengers depart from the Faʻaʻā International Airport. Domestic interisland service is operated by Air Tahiti with international flights being operated by Air Tahiti Nui, Air France, LATAM Chile, United and other airlines. By sea, passengers can use a marine ferry service for travel to Moorea or a Bora Bora cruise line service for travel to Bora Bora.

Demographics

The urban area of Papeʻetē had a total population of 136,771 inhabitants at the August 2017 census, 26,926 of whom lived in the commune of Papeʻetē proper.[3] The urban area of Papeʻetē is made up of seven communes. They are listed from northeast to southwest:

  • Māhina
  • Arue
  • Pīra'e
  • Papeʻetē (historically the most populous commune in the urban area, and still the administrative capital)
  • Faʻaʻā (which became in 1988 the most populous commune in the urban area)
  • Punaʻauia
  • Pā'ea

Historical population
19561962197119771983198819962002200720122017
Papeʻetē (commune)18,08919,90325,34222,96723,49623,55525,55326,22226,01725,76926,926
Papeʻetē (urban area)28,97535,51465,18577,78193,294103,857115,759127,327131,695133,627136,771
Official figures from population censuses.[3][18][19][20][21]

Average population growth of the Papeʻetē urban area:

  • 1956–1962: +1,107 people per year (+3.5% per year)
  • 1962–1971: +3,597 people per year (+7.6% per year)
  • 1971–1977: +2,025 people per year (+2.9% per year)
  • 1977–1983: +2,400 people per year (+2.9% per year)
  • 1983–1988: +2,158 people per year (+2.2% per year)
  • 1988–1996: +1,489 people per year (+1.4% per year)
  • 1996–2002: +1,873 people per year (+1.6% per year)
  • 2002–2007: +913 people per year (+0.7% per year)
  • 2007–2012: +386 people per year (+0.3% per year)
  • 2012–2017: +631 people per year (+0.5% per year)

Migrations

The places of birth of the 136,771 residents in the Papeʻetē urban area at the 2017 census were the following (2007 census in parentheses):[22][23]

Languages

At the 2017 census, 98.4% of the population in the urban area of Papeʻetē whose age was 15 years and older reported that they could speak French (up from 98.2% at the 2007 census). 96.7% reported that they could also read and write it (up from 96.5% at the 2007 census). Only 0.7% of the population whose age was 15 years and older had no knowledge of French (down from 1.2% at the 2007 census).[24][25]

At the same census, 83.9% of the population in the urban area of Papeʻetē whose age was 15 years and older reported that the language they spoke the most at home was French (up from 79.7% at the 2007 census). 13.5% reported that Tahitian was the language they spoke the most at home (down from 16.5% at the 2007 census). 1.2% reported another Polynesian language (down from 1.7% at the 2007 census), 0.9% reported a Chinese dialect (down from 1.6% at the 2007 census), half of whom speak Hakka, and 0.5% reported another language (same as in 2007).[24][25]

19.8% of the population in the urban area of Papeʻetē whose age was 15 years and older reported that they had no knowledge of any Polynesian language at the 2017 census (up from 19.5% at the 2007 census), whereas 80.2% reported that they had some form of knowledge of at least one Polynesian language (down from 80.5% at the 2007 census).[24][25]

Travel and tourism

Travelling tourists arrive and depart Papeʻetē by private yacht or via cruise ship at Papeʻetē Harbor, or by air at Faʻaʻā International Airport, which was completed and opened in 1962.

Main sights
Marché Papeʻetē
Papeʻetē waterfront

Economy
Immeuble Dexter, the head office of Air Tahiti Nui

Air Tahiti Nui has its head office in the Immeuble Dexter in Papeʻetē.[27]

Education

The Lycée Paul-Gauguin is located in the city.

Notable people

See also

Notes

Explanatory footnotes
  1. The use of the ʻokina, which looks similar to an apostrophe, to represent the glottal stop, is promoted by the Académie Tahitienne and accepted by the territorial government (see http://www.farevanaa.pf/theme_detail.php?id=5). The ʻokina, however, is often omitted. Archived June 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

Citations
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  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 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  3. "Populations légales de Polynésie française en 2017". INSEE. Archived from the original on 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  4. "Ville de Papeete : A voir, à faire". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  5. Décret n° 2005-1611 du 20 décembre 2005 pris pour l'application du statut d'autonomie de la Polynésie française Archived 2019-03-27 at the Wayback Machine, Légifrance
  6. Kay, p. 106
  7. Kay, p. 102.
  8. Arue – 12A Arahiri/Rimapp Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Map of wards subdivision
  10. List of wards subdivision
  11. "Normales et records pour Papeete 2 (987)". Meteociel. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  12. "Papeete Sun Normals 1961-1990". NOAA. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  13. Aubrac: Le chemin de fer en Polynésie Française.
  14. Aubrac: Déplacement du bureau de poste de Papeete à l'aide de wagonnets utilisant une voie étroite.
  15. Matériaux locaux en Polynésie – Plusieurs chemins de fer à Papeete.
  16. Shenon, Philip (8 October 1995). "Atomic Tests and Rioting Scare Off Tahiti Tourists". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  17. Shenon, Philip (7 September 1995). "Tahiti's Antinuclear Protests Turn Violent". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  18. "Population des communes de Polynésie française". INSEE. Archived from the original on 2014-07-05. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  19. Jean Fages (1975). "Punaauia-Paea - contact ville-campagne et croissance urbaine de la côte ouest de Tahiti" (PDF). ORSTOM. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-19. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  20. "Population statistique des communes et communes associées aux recensements de 1971 à 2002". ISPF. Archived from the original on 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  21. "Population des communes de Polynésie française au RP 2007". INSEE. Archived from the original on 2014-07-05. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  22. Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). "Recensement 2017 – Données détaillées - Migrations" (in French). Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  23. "Recensements de la population → 2007 → Données détaillées → Migrations". ISPF. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  24. Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). "Recensement 2017 – Données détaillées - Migrations" (in French). Archived from the original on 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  25. "Recensements de la population → 2007 → Données détaillées → Langues". ISPF. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  26. Gibbs, Jim (1968). West Coast Windjammers in Story and Pictures. Seattle: Superior Publishing Co. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-517-17060-1.
  27. ""Air Tahiti Nui Réservation vol à petit prix et promo". Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2012-11-07.." Air Tahiti Nui. Retrieved on 7 November 2012. "Tahiti – Siège social Immeuble Dexter – Pont de L'Est – Papeete BP 1673 – 98713 Papeete – Tahiti."
  28. "Andy Tupaia: sensibilité et création musicale". Tahiti Jukebox. Archived from the original on 26 August 2004.

General and cited references
  • Kay, Robert F. (2001). Hidden Tahiti. Berkeley, California: Ulysses Press. ISBN 1-56975-222-2.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Papeete.
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