Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora

Bora Bora is an island in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, about 260 km northwest of the capital, Papeete. The island 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.).

As of 2000, the population was about 4,500 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, the marijuana fields, and coconut trees.

History

The island was settled by Polynesian 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.

World War II

During World War II, following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, Bora Bora was chosen as a South Pacific supply base for the American forces. An oil depot, an airstrip, a seaplane base, and a defensive infrastructure were set up. However, the American presence on Bora Bora went uncontested over the course of the war, and the island saw no combat. The base was abandoned June 2, 1946, but so many American soldiers loved the island and the people that they refused to leave the island at the end of the war. The American military, in response to complaints from soldiers' parents, had to go back and forcibly remove some.

The development of the airstrip in World War II meant that Bora Bora remained French Polynesia's only international airport until the early 1990s.

Today

Today the island is mainly dependent on tourism. It has many high-scale resorts, mostly visited by American and Japanese tourists. Many tourists come to Bora Bora for a beach holiday, and are surprised to learn it is a lagoon destination, with relatively few, narrow beaches.

Air Tahiti has five or six flights daily to the island from Papeete, at a cost of about 14,000 XPF one-way.

Although French is the official language of French Polynesia, English is becoming more widely spoken, especially among the younger generation.

Public transport on the island is fairly limited, consisting of a single bus that goes halfway around the island and back every hour or so. Bicycles are the recommended method of transport for tourists, if your hotel will not arrange your transport for you. There are also small electric cars for hire in Vaitape.

Bora Bora is famous for scuba diving in and around its beautiful lagoon. Many species of sharks and rays can be seen in the water. There are two dive operators on the island: Bora Bora Dive Center, and Top Dive. Many of the divemasters offer shark feeding excursions.

External Links

• http://www.linda.ch/borabora/ - some beautiful pictures
• - satellite image