Every Day Is Special: March 5 - Missionary Day in French Polynesia

Posted on March 5, 2020

There are more than 100 islands in the South Pacific that belong to France, halfway across the world. Together, these islands are referred to as French Polynesia.

Here, the islands of French Polynesia are circled in red.

You have probably heard of at least one of the islands of French Polynesia:

Tahiti.

The island of Tahiti accounts for close to two-thirds of the population of French Polynesia, and for that reason the capital of French Polynesia is located here (in Papeete).

March 5 marks the anniversary of members of the London Missionary Society landing on Tahiti in 1797.

The British missionaries converted the king, Pōmare II, and the Protestant Christian religion spread across the island - and to nearby islands - quickly.

Even when the islands became a French protectorate and were eventually annexed by France, and even though France is majority Catholic, not Protestant, Protestantism remains the religion of the majority of French Polynesians.

Take a look at some of the islands and peoples of French Polynesia:

Tahiti