Marquesas Islands

One of the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia, in the central southern Pacific. They have magnificent scenery, with verdant forests, rugged peaks, and turquoise seas. The French artist Paul Gauguin is buried on the largest island, Hiva Oa.

Group of mountainous volcanic islands in French Polynesia (a French overseas territory), lying in the southern Pacific Ocean 1,184 km/736 mi northeast of Tahiti; area 1,270 sq km/490 sq mi; population (2002 est) 8,700. The administrative headquarters is Atuona on Hiva Oa. The largest settlement is Taiohae on Hiva Oa; other islands include Kuku Hiva, Ua Pa, Ua Huka, Tahuata, and Fatu Hiva. The islands were annexed by France in 1842. The main products are copra, tobacco, breadfruit, and vanilla.

There is a belief that the Maori people migrated to New Zealand from the Marquesas Islands around AD 800. Famous former inhabitants include the author Herman Melville and the artist Paul Gauguin.