10 Facts You Didn't Know About Tahiti

Calm blue lagoons, white sand beaches, friendly people, swaying coconut trees and black pearl farms – French Polynesia is a paradise with amazing beauty. Here are 10 interesting things about Tahiti and Her Islands.

1. The word “tattoo” comes from the Tahitian word “tatau”. Tattoo are considered signs of beauty among Polynesians. These are ceremoniously applied to the body when reaching adolescence period.
2. Air Tahiti Nui is the first international airline based in Papeete, Tahiti
3. The Tahitian alphabet consists only of 13 letters: the vowels a, e, i, o, u and the consonants f, h, m, n, p, r, t and v.
4. There is a church in Fakarava called Jean de la Croix that is made up of coral
5. Bora Bora served as a supply base and home to 6,000 US military personnel.
6. Archery used to be a sacred sport in Tahiti during the ancient times
7. The official language of Tahiti is French. English, however, is spoken mostly in establishments.
8. Overwater bungalow was invented in Tahiti in the 1960s
9. There are boxes outside the homes of Tahitian residents that are often mistaken for mail boxes. These are actually for French bread delivery.
10. There are no poisonous snakes or insects in French Polynesia