It is the primary center of Tahitian and French Polynesian public and private governmental, commercial, industrial, and financial services, the hub of French Polynesian tourism and a commonly used port of call.[6] The Windward Islands are themselves part of the Society Islands. The name Papeʻetē, sometimes also spelled Papeete in languages other than Tahitian,[Note 1] means "water from a basket".[7] The urban area of Papeʻetē had a total population of 136,771 inhabitants at the August 2017 census, 26,926 of whom lived in the commune of Papeʻetē proper.[3]
Geography
A 50 centimes World War II banknote (1943), printed in Papeʻetē, depicting the outline of Tahiti (rev).
The commune of Papeʻetē is subdivided into eleven quartiers (wards):[8][9][10]
ID Quartier
Quartier
Area km2
Pop. 2017-08-17
Density /km2
Location
35A
Manuhō'ē - Fare'ute - Motu uta
1.15
2,301
2,000
coast
35B
Patutoa
0.44
1,653
3,748
coast
35C
Taunoa
0.40
2,187
5,512
coast
35D
Fāriʻipiti
0.34
1,811
5,332
near coast
35E
Titioro
3.53
3,566
1,009
inland
35F
Tepapa
4.63
3,407
736
inland
35G
Faiere
0.87
1,933
2,213
coast
35H
Pic Rouge
3.23
1,973
611
inland
35I
Tīpaeru'i
1.93
4,187
2,143
coast
35J
Paofai
0.60
1,638
2,743
coast
35K
Mama'o
0.52
2,269
4,343
near coast
35
Papeʻetē
17.64
26,925
1,526
Papeʻetē: subdivision in 11 quartiers
Climate
Papeʻetē features a tropical monsoon climate (Am according to the Köppen climate classification) with a wet season and dry season, bordering a tropical rainforest climate, with high temperatures and humidity year round. However, precipitation is observed even during the city's dry season. The dry season is short, covering only the months of August and September. The rest of the year is wet, with the heaviest precipitation falling in the months of December and January. Sunshine is moderately high, as most precipitation comes as thunderstorms and cyclones, and does not last for long.
Climate data for Papeʻetē (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1976−present)
Relocation of the post office using a Decauville railway in 1902
In 1902, it became necessary to move the post office of Papeʻetē to another location. Instead of demolishing it and rebuilding it at the new site, it was lifted from the subsoil and moved as a whole on a Decauville railway.
Previously, during the construction of the Faʻaiere water tower with a capacity of 150,000 litres for the drinking water supply of the city of Papeʻetē, a difference in altitude of 37 metres (121 ft) was overcome with a light railway laid on a 220 metres (720 ft) long inclined plane. A winch driven by a 12-horsepower Fowler or Decauville locomobile carried three narrow gauge railway trucks at a time, consuming up to 200 kilograms (440 lb) of coal per day for about sixty journeys.[13]Paul Decauville mentioned in a letter to Governor Theodore Lacascade, dated 18 June 1891, an order for "15 kilometres (9.3 mi) of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) portable rail tracks and about 12,000 francs of rolling stock, payable in three years," presumably for a tramway from Papeʻetē to Punaʻauia operated by hand or animals.[14][15]
Papeʻetē Town Hall, a replica of the Royal Palace of Papeʻetē razed in the 1960s
At the outbreak of World War I Papeʻetē was shelled by German vessels, causing loss of life and significant damage.
The growth of the city was boosted by the decision to move the French nuclear weapon test range from Algeria, which had become independent, to the atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa, some 1,500 km (930 mi) to the east of Tahiti. This was motivated, in particular, by the construction of the Faʻaʻā International Airport, the only international airport in French Polynesia, near Papeʻetē. In 1983, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built the Papeʻetē Tahiti Temple here because of its large number of members in the region. On 5 September 1995 the government of Jacques Chirac conducted the first of a series of nuclear test detonations off the shores of Moruroa. A resulting riot in Papeʻetē lasted for two days and damaged the international airport, injured 40 people, and scared away tourism for some time.[16][17] Similar rioting had occurred after another French nuclear test in the same area in 1987.
Transportation
The streets of the town center are very busy, and traffic can be a problem since they are very narrow. The Tahiti freeway starts close to the town center as Pōmare Boulevard, named after the Tahitian Royal Family of the 19th century. By air, passengers depart from the Faʻaʻā International Airport. Domestic interisland service is operated by Air Tahiti with international flights being operated by Air Tahiti Nui, Air France, LATAM Chile, United and other airlines. By sea, passengers can use a marine ferry service for travel to Moorea or a Bora Bora cruise line service for travel to Bora Bora.
Demographics
The urban area of Papeʻetē had a total population of 136,771 inhabitants at the August 2017 census, 26,926 of whom lived in the commune of Papeʻetē proper.[3] The urban area of Papeʻetē is made up of seven communes. They are listed from northeast to southwest:
1.3% in other foreign countries (down from 1.5% at the 2007 census)
Languages
At the 2017 census, 98.4% of the population in the urban area of Papeʻetē whose age was 15 years and older reported that they could speak French (up from 98.2% at the 2007 census). 96.7% reported that they could also read and write it (up from 96.5% at the 2007 census). Only 0.7% of the population whose age was 15 years and older had no knowledge of French (down from 1.2% at the 2007 census).[24][25]
At the same census, 83.9% of the population in the urban area of Papeʻetē whose age was 15 years and older reported that the language they spoke the most at home was French (up from 79.7% at the 2007 census). 13.5% reported that Tahitian was the language they spoke the most at home (down from 16.5% at the 2007 census). 1.2% reported another Polynesian language (down from 1.7% at the 2007 census), 0.9% reported a Chinese dialect (down from 1.6% at the 2007 census), half of whom speak Hakka, and 0.5% reported another language (same as in 2007).[24][25]
19.8% of the population in the urban area of Papeʻetē whose age was 15 years and older reported that they had no knowledge of any Polynesian language at the 2017 census (up from 19.5% at the 2007 census), whereas 80.2% reported that they had some form of knowledge of at least one Polynesian language (down from 80.5% at the 2007 census).[24][25]
Travel and tourism
Travelling tourists arrive and depart Papeʻetē by private yacht or via cruise ship at Papeʻetē Harbor, or by air at Faʻaʻā International Airport, which was completed and opened in 1962.
Bougainville Park (once named Albert Park, in honour of a former Belgian king and World War One hero), is now named for Louis Antoine de Bougainville, the first French explorer to circumnavigate the globe.
The Territorial Assembly is the heart of the Polynesian government and contains the Territorial Assembly building, the High Commissioner's residence and also a once popular clubhouse of Paul Gauguin. It was also once the site of the royal residence and palace of Queen Pōmare IV of Tahiti, who ruled from 1827 to 1877.
The film El pasajero clandestino deals with several persons trying to take control of the inheritance of a recently deceased English film magnate, who travel to Papeʻetē to look for the heir.
Papeʻetē is mentioned in Bruce Brown's surf film The Endless Summer as one of the surf sites visited by the two longboarders chasing the summer season around the world. The beach at Papeʻete is dubbed "Ins and outs" because the steep shore causes waves to break in both directions—toward the beach and out to sea.
Pape'etē, a schooner built by Matthew Turner, who had extensive business interests in Tahiti, was known for a fast passage from San Francisco to Tahiti of 17 days.[26]
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