Papeete - wikipedia Papeete Papeete Commune The southern suburbs of Papeete ( commune of Punaauia ) Location of the commune ( in red ) within the Windward Islands Coordinates : 17 ° 32 ′ 06 '' S 149 ° 34 ′ 11 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 17.535 ° S 149.5696 ° W ﻿ / - 17.535 ; - 149.5696 Coordinates : 17 ° 32 ′ 06 '' S 149 ° 34 ′ 11 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 17.535 ° S 149.5696 ° W ﻿ / - 17.535 ; - 149.5696 Country France Overseas collectivity French Polynesia Government Mayor ( 1995 -- present ) Michel Buillard Area 17.4 km ( 6.7 sq mi ) Urban 299.5 km ( 115.6 sq mi ) Population ( August 2017 census ) 26,926 Density 1,500 / km ( 4,000 / sq mi ) Urban 136,771 Urban density 460 / km ( 1,200 / sq mi ) INSEE / Postal code 98735 / 98714 Elevation 0 -- 621 m ( 0 -- 2,037 ft ) Population without double counting : residents of multiple communes ( e.g., students and military personnel ) only counted once. Papeete ( pronounced ( pa.pe. ʔe. te ) ) is the capital of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune ( municipality ) of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, of which Papeete is the administrative capital. The French High Commissioner also resides in Papeete. 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. The Windward Islands are themselves part of the Society Islands. The name Papeete means `` water from a basket ''. The urban area of Papeete had a total population of 136,771 inhabitants at the August 2017 census, 26,926 of whom lived in the commune of Papeete proper. Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Transportation 4 Demographics 4.1 Historical population 4.2 Migrations 4.3 Languages 5 Travel and tourism 6 Climate 7 Main sights 8 In popular culture 9 Economy 10 Education 11 Gallery 12 Notes and references 12.1 Footnotes 12.2 References 13 Bibliography 14 See also 15 External links Geography A 50 centimes World War II banknote ( 1943 ), printed in Papeete, depicting the outline of Tahiti ( rev ). The commune of Papeete is subdivided into eleven quartiers ( wards ) : Manu Hoe -- Fare Ute -- Motu Uta Patutoa Taunoa Fari'ipiti Titioro Tepapa Faiere Pic Rouge Tipaerui Paofai Mamao History Papeete Town Hall, a replica of the Royal Palace of Papeete razed in the 1960s At the outbreak of World War I Papeete 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 nuclear weapon test range from Algeria to the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa, some 1,500 km ( 930 mi ) to the east of Tahiti ; this originated in particular in the construction of the Faa'a airport next to Pape'ete, the only international airport in French Polynesia. In 1983, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints built the Papeete Tahiti Temple here because of the large number of members in the region. On 5 September 1995 the government of Jacques Chirac conducted the first of the last series of nuclear test detonations off the shores of Moruroa. A resulting riot in Papeete lasted for two days and damaged the international airport, injured 40 people, and scared away tourism for some time. ( Similar rioting occurred after another French nuclear test in the same area in 1987. ) Transportation There are very busy streets in the town center, and sometimes traffic can be a problem since the streets are very small. There is a freeway that starts close to the town center starting with Pomare Boulevard, named after the Tahitian Royal Family dynasty of the 19th century. By air, the people would use the Faaa International Airport. From there they could either take Air Tahiti to go to another island of the territory or take a plane like Air Tahiti Nui to go international. By sea, they would either take Moorea ferries to go to Moorea or the Bora Bora cruiseline to go to Bora Bora. Demographics The urban area of Papeete had a total population of 136,771 inhabitants at the August 2017 census, 26,926 of whom lived in the commune of Papeete proper. The urban area of Papeete is made up of seven communes. They are listed from northeast to southwest : Mahina Arue Pirae Papeete ( historically the most populous commune in the urban area, and still the administrative capital ) Faaa ( which became in 1988 the most populous commune in the urban area ) Punaauia Paea Historical population 1956 1962 1971 1977 2002 2007 2012 2017 Papeete ( commune ) 18,089 19,903 25,342 22,967 23,496 23,555 25,553 26,222 26,017 25,769 26,926 Papeete ( urban area ) 28,975 35,514 65,185 77,781 93,294 103,857 115,759 127,327 131,695 133,627 136,771 Official figures from population censuses. Average population growth of the Papeete urban area : 1956 - 1962 : + 1,107 people per year ( + 3.5 % per year ) 1962 - 1971 : + 3,597 people per year ( + 7.6 % per year ) 1971 - 1977 : + 2,025 people per year ( + 2.9 % per year ) 1977 - 1983 : + 2,400 people per year ( + 2.9 % per year ) 1983 - 1988 : + 2,158 people per year ( + 2.2 % per year ) 1988 - 1996 : + 1,489 people per year ( + 1.4 % per year ) 1996 - 2002 : + 1,873 people per year ( + 1.6 % per year ) 2002 - 2007 : + 913 people per year ( + 0.7 % per year ) Papeete waterfront 2007 - 2012 : + 386 people per year ( + 0.3 % per year ) 2012 - 2017 : + 631 people per year ( + 0.5 % per year ) Migrations The places of birth of the 131,695 residents in the Papeete urban area at the 2007 census were the following : 68.4 % were born in Tahiti 12.8 % in Metropolitan France 6.8 % in the Society Islands ( other than Tahiti ) 3.6 % in the Tuamotu - Gambier 2.1 % in the Marquesas Islands 2.0 % in the Austral Islands 1.6 % in the overseas departments and territories of France other than French Polynesia ( 1.1 % in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna ; 0.5 % in the other overseas departments and collectivities ) 0.7 % in Southeast Asia and East Asia 0.5 % in North Africa ( most of them Pieds - Noirs ) 1.5 % in other foreign countries Languages At the 2007 census, 98.2 % of the population in the urban area of Papeete whose age was 15 years and older reported that they could speak French. 96.5 % reported that they could also read and write it. Only 1.2 % of the population whose age was 15 years and older had no knowledge of French. At the same census, 79.7 % of the population in the urban area of Papeete whose age was 15 years and older reported that the language they spoke the most at home was French. 16.5 % reported that Tahitian was the language they spoke the most at home. 1.7 % reported another Polynesian language, 1.6 % reported a Chinese dialect ( half of whom speak Hakka ), and 0.5 % reported another language. 19.5 % of the population in the urban area of Papeete whose age was 15 years and older reported that they had no knowledge of any Polynesian language at the 2007 census, whereas 80.5 % reported that they had some form of knowledge of at least one Polynesian language. Travel and tourism Traveling tourists arrive and depart Papeete via cruise ship at Papeete Harbor or domestic airline at Faa'a International Airport, which was completed and opened in 1962. Climate Papeete features a tropical monsoon climate with a wet season and dry season. 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. Temperatures are relatively constant throughout the course of the year, averaging around 25 ° C ( 77 ° F ). Climate data for Papeete FAAA ( 1981 - 2010 ) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high ° C ( ° F ) 34.1 ( 93.4 ) 34.5 ( 94.1 ) 34.5 ( 94.1 ) 34.5 ( 94.1 ) 33.3 ( 91.9 ) 32.7 ( 90.9 ) 31.9 ( 89.4 ) 31.5 ( 88.7 ) 31.7 ( 89.1 ) 32.4 ( 90.3 ) 33.9 ( 93 ) 33.2 ( 91.8 ) 34.5 ( 94.1 ) Average high ° C ( ° F ) 31.0 ( 87.8 ) 31.1 ( 88 ) 31.5 ( 88.7 ) 31.2 ( 88.2 ) 30.4 ( 86.7 ) 29.5 ( 85.1 ) 29.0 ( 84.2 ) 28.9 ( 84 ) 29.3 ( 84.7 ) 29.7 ( 85.5 ) 30.3 ( 86.5 ) 30.4 ( 86.7 ) 30.2 ( 86.4 ) Daily mean ° C ( ° F ) 27.6 ( 81.7 ) 27.7 ( 81.9 ) 28.0 ( 82.4 ) 27.7 ( 81.9 ) 26.8 ( 80.2 ) 25.9 ( 78.6 ) 25.3 ( 77.5 ) 25.2 ( 77.4 ) 25.7 ( 78.3 ) 26.2 ( 79.2 ) 26.9 ( 80.4 ) 27.2 ( 81 ) 26.7 ( 80.1 ) Average low ° C ( ° F ) 24.2 ( 75.6 ) 24.3 ( 75.7 ) 24.4 ( 75.9 ) 24.1 ( 75.4 ) 23.2 ( 73.8 ) 22.2 ( 72 ) 21.6 ( 70.9 ) 21.5 ( 70.7 ) 22.0 ( 71.6 ) 22.7 ( 72.9 ) 23.4 ( 74.1 ) 23.9 ( 75 ) 23.1 ( 73.6 ) Record low ° C ( ° F ) 19.4 ( 66.9 ) 18.9 ( 66 ) 20.5 ( 68.9 ) 19.2 ( 66.6 ) 18.8 ( 65.8 ) 15.9 ( 60.6 ) 16.3 ( 61.3 ) 14.9 ( 58.8 ) 15.8 ( 60.4 ) 15.8 ( 60.4 ) 18.1 ( 64.6 ) 19.5 ( 67.1 ) 14.9 ( 58.8 ) Average precipitation mm ( inches ) 253.7 ( 9.988 ) 209.9 ( 8.264 ) 195.2 ( 7.685 ) 111.4 ( 4.386 ) 117.4 ( 4.622 ) 72.7 ( 2.862 ) 61.9 ( 2.437 ) 52.1 ( 2.051 ) 58.8 ( 2.315 ) 101.5 ( 3.996 ) 125.4 ( 4.937 ) 327.7 ( 12.902 ) 1,687.7 ( 66.445 ) Mean monthly sunshine hours 215.5 199.2 226.0 230.3 228.6 220.0 235.2 251.1 241.6 232.1 208.7 196.6 2,684.9 Source # 1 : Meteo France Source # 2 : NOAA ( Sun 1961 - 1990 ) Main sights Marché Papeete The waterfront esplanade. 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. Cathedral of Notre Dame of Papeete. 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 Pomare IV of Tahiti, who ruled from 1827 to 1877. Presidential palace. The Papeete Tahiti Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints. The Monument to Pouvanaa a Oopa ( a decorated World War I hero, Tahitian nationalist, and deputy to Paris for the Tahitian Territorial Assembly ). The Mairie ( town hall ). Papeete Market. In popular culture 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 Papeete to look for the heir. Papeete is mentioned in the songs `` Southern Cross '' by Crosby, Stills & Nash ; and `` Somewhere Over China '' by Jimmy Buffett. Papeete is mentioned in the Bruce Brown 's groundbreaking 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 Papeete is dubbed `` Ins and outs '' because the steep shore causes waves to break in both directions -- toward the beach and out to sea. Papeete is where Robert Louis Stevenson 's `` The Ebb Tide '' begins. Papeete, 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. Economy Immeuble Dexter, the head office of Air Tahiti Nui Air Tahiti Nui has its head office in the Immeuble Dexter in Papeete. Education The Lycée Paul - Gauguin is located in the city. Gallery Présidence Papeete Cathedral Paofai Temple Notes and references Footnotes Jump up ^ The name Papeete is sometimes spelled Pape'ete in Tahitian, using the apostrophe ( in fact a variant of it hard to differentiate from the regular apostrophe when using small fonts ) to represent the glottal stop, as promoted by the Académie Tahitienne and accepted by the territorial government ( see ( 1 ) ). This apostrophe, however, is often omitted. Archived June 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. References Jump up ^ `` R1 - Population sans doubles comptes, des subdivisions, communes et communes associées de Polynésie française, de 1971 à 1996 ''. ISPF. Archived from the original on 2012 - 11 - 14. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 13. ^ Jump up to : `` Populations légales de Polynésie française en 2017 ''. INSEE. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 08. Jump up ^ http://www.hotels-tahiti.com/papeete.htm ^ Jump up to : Kay, p. 106 Jump up ^ Kay, p. 102 Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Jump up ^ ( 3 ) Jump up ^ Arue -- 12A Arahiri / Rimapp Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ ' ' New York Times ' ' coverage of Atomic tests resumption in Tahiti. New York Times ( 1995 - 10 - 08 ). Retrieved on 2011 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ ' ' New York Times ' ' coverage of riot at Tahiti 's international airport. New York Times ( 1995 - 09 - 07 ). Retrieved on 2011 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Population des communes de Polynésie française ''. INSEE. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ Jean Fages ( 1975 ). `` Punaauia - Paea - contact ville - campagne et croissance urbaine de la côte ouest de Tahiti '' ( PDF ). ORSTOM. p. 21. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Population statistique des communes et communes associées aux recensements de 1971 à 2002 ''. ISPF. Archived from the original on 2012 - 12 - 18. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Population des communes de Polynésie française au RP 2007 ''. INSEE. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Recensements de la population → 2007 → Données détaillées → Migrations ''. ISPF. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 14. ^ Jump up to : `` Recensements de la population → 2007 → Données détaillées → Langues ''. ISPF. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Papeete 1981 - 2010 Averages ''. Meteo France. Retrieved 12 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` Papeete Sun Normals 1961 - 1990 ''. NOAA. Retrieved 12 November 2015. Jump up ^ Gibbs, Jim ( 1968 ). West Coast Windjammers in Story and Pictures. Seattle : Superior Publishing Co. p. 42. ISBN 978 - 0 - 517 - 17060 - 1. Jump up ^ `` `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2012 - 11 - 14. Retrieved 2012 - 11 - 07... `` Air Tahiti Nui. Retrieved on 7 November 2012. `` Tahiti -- Siège social Immeuble Dexter -- Pont de L'Est -- Papeete BP 1673 -- 98713 Papeete -- Tahiti. '' Bibliography Kay, Robert F. Hidden Tahiti. Berkeley, California : Ulysses Press, 2001. ISBN 1 - 56975 - 222 - 2. See also Windward Islands ( Society Islands ) External links Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Papeete. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Papeete. Papeete Official Website Papeete City Tour, over 30 tourist attractions to discover Papeete City Tour for mobile Communes of Tahiti Clockwise from Papeetē, the capital Papeetē Pīra'e ' Ārue Māhina Hitia'a O Te Rā Tai'arapū - Est Tai'arapū - Ouest Teva I Uta Paparā Pā'ea Puna'auiā Fa'a'a Capitals of Oceania Dependent territories are in italics Australasia Canberra, Australia Kingston, Norfolk Island Wellington, New Zealand Melanesia Honiara, Solomon Islands Nouméa, New Caledonia Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Port Vila, Vanuatu Suva, Fiji Micronesia Hagåtña, Guam Majuro, Marshall Islands Ngerulmud, Palau Palikir, Federated States of Micronesia Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands South Tarawa / Bairiki, Kiribati Yaren, Nauru ( de facto ) Polynesia Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands Alofi, Niue Apia, Samoa Avarua, Cook Islands Fakaofo, Tokelau Funafuti, Tuvalu Hanga Roa, Easter Island Honolulu, Hawaii Mata - Utu, Wallis and Futuna Nukuʻalofa, Tonga Pago Pago, American Samoa Papeete, French Polynesia Territory of Australia Often included in Polynesia Overseas collectivity of France Often included in Australasia Insular area of the United States Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom In free association with New Zealand New Zealand dependent territory Special territory of Chile 's oceanic region U.S. state In free association with the United States VIAF : 145443250 GND : 4115840 - 4 SUDOC : 026618494 BNF : cb11883124b ( data ) French Polynesia portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Papeete&oldid=830610117 '' Categories : Papeete Capitals in Oceania Communes of French Polynesia Populated places established in 1818 Port cities in Oceania Towns and villages in Tahiti 1818 establishments in Tahiti Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from July 2011 Coordinates on Wikidata Pages using infobox French commune with unknown parameters Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Languages Afrikaans Asturianu Azərbaycanca Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština ChiShona Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Fiji Hindi Français Gaeilge Gàidhlig Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Ирон Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Ligure Magyar Македонски Malagasy मराठी Nederlands 日本 語 Nordfriisk Norfuk / Pitkern Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan پنجابی Polski Português Reo tahiti Română Русский Scots Sicilianu Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Winaray 粵語 中文 64 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 March 2018, at 21 : 53. 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Question: how do you pronounce the capital of tahiti
Answer: Papeete