Polynesia

Also known as Polynesian Triangle

Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in common, including linguistic relations, cultural practices, and traditional beliefs.

AI overview

Polynesia is a vast region in the Pacific Ocean comprising over 1,000 islands spread across the central and southern waters, inhabited by indigenous people called Polynesians. These island communities share important connections through their languages, cultures, and traditional beliefs, which link them together as a distinct people despite their geographic separation.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Settlement.name: Polynesia
Settlement.image_map: Map OC-Polynesia.PNG
Settlement.map_caption: Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian Triangle.
Settlement.subdivision_type: Largest cities
Settlement.population_total: 765,884,6
Settlement.population_demonym: Polynesians
Settlement.blank_name_sec1: Other information
Settlement.blank1_name_sec1: Countries
Settlement.blank2_name_sec1: Dependencies

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

13,642 papers

Ciguatera poisoning in French Polynesia: A review of the distribution and toxicity of Gambierdiscus spp., and related impacts on food web components and human health.ReviewHarmful algae · 2023Chinain M, Gatti Howell C, Roué M et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2023.102525
Exploring Intimate Partner Violence in Polynesia: A Scoping Review.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2020Heard E, Fitzgerald L, Whittaker M et al.DOI: 10.1177/1524838018795504
Zika virus in French Polynesia 2013-14: anatomy of a completed outbreak.ReviewThe Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2018Musso D, Bossin H, Mallet HP et al.DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30446-2
Specific aspects of bariatric surgery in French Polynesia.American journal of surgery · 2020Massalou D, Senni-Buratti M, Bentellis I et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.06.029
[Transidentity in Polynesia, history and evolution].Medecine sciences : M/S · 2023Tcherkézoff SDOI: 10.1051/medsci/2023013
[OverView of infectious and non-infectious diseases in French Polynesia in 2025].ReviewMedecine tropicale et sante internationale · 2025Oehler E, Mayan R, Lastère S et al.DOI: 10.48327/mtsi.v5i3.2025.714
Reconstructing long-term dengue virus immunity in French Polynesia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Nemoto T, Aubry M, Teissier Y et al.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010367
Calcareous sponges from the French Polynesia (Porifera: Calcarea).Zootaxa · 2020Klautau M, Lopes MV, Debitus CDOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4748.2.3

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Demonym: Polinesio
Population: 2228747

Show 2 more facts

Commons category: Polynesia
Commons gallery: Polynesia

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~53 min read

Article

35 sections

Contents

Geography
Geology
Geographical area
Island groups
Polynesian area
Outliers
Micronesia
Sub-Antarctic islands
Melanesia
History{{anchor|History of the Polynesian people}}
Origins and expansion
Culture
Political history
Cook Islands
Fiji
Hawaii
Kiribati
Marquesas Islands
New Zealand
Niue
Samoa
Tahiti
Tonga
Tuvalu
Links to the Americas
Demographics
Languages
Economy
Inter-Polynesian cooperation
Navigation
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links

The term was first used in 1756 by the French writer Charles de Brosses, who originally applied it to all the islands of the Pacific. In 1831, Jules Dumont d'Urville proposed a narrower definition during a lecture at the Société de Géographie of Paris. By tradition, the islands located in the southern Pacific have also often been called the South Sea Islands, and their inhabitants have been called South Sea Islanders. The Hawaiian Islands have often been considered to be part of the South Sea Islands because of their relative proximity to the southern Pacific islands, even though they are in fact located in the North Pacific. Another term in use, which avoids this inconsistency, is "the Polynesian Triangle" (from the shape created by the layout of the islands in the Pacific Ocean). This term makes clear that the grouping includes the Hawaiian Islands, which are located at the northern vertex of the referenced "triangle".