page_title: Marquesas Islands
section_title: Climate
hierarchical_section_title: Marquesas Islands / Geography / Climate
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Regenwald auf Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, Französisch-Polynesien English: Tropical rainforest, Fatu Hiva Island, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia Français&#160;: Forêt tropicale à Fatu-Hiva, Îles Marquises, Polynésie française
context_page_description: The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9.7812° S, 139.0817° W. The highest point is the peak of Mount Oave on Ua Pou island at 1,230 m above sea level.
  Archaeological research suggests the islands were colonized sometime after the 9th century and before the 11th century AD by indigenous voyagers from West Polynesia. Over the course of subsequent centuries, these settlers developed a "remarkably uniform culture, human biology and language."
  The Marquesas Islands form one of the five administrative divisions of French Polynesia. The capital of the Marquesas Islands administrative subdivision is the town of Taiohae, on the island of Nuku Hiva. The population of the Marquesas Islands was 9,346 inhabitants at the time of the August 2017 census.
context_section_description: Temperatures in the Marquesas are stable year around, but precipitation is highly variable.  Precipitation is much greater on the north and east (windward) parts of the islands than on the western (leeward) parts.  Average annual precipitation can vary from more than 100 inches (2,500 mm) on windward shores and mountains to a low as 20 inches (510 mm) in the "desert" region of Nuku Hiva. Droughts, sometimes lasting several years, are frequent and seem to be associated with the El Niño phenomena.  The statistics from the weather station at Atuona on Hiva ʻOa is representative of the average sea-level climate of the Marquesas.  Illustrating the variability of precipitation, the highest annual rainfall recorded in Atuona is 148.2 inches (3,760 mm); the lowest is 22 inches (560 mm).
caption: Breadfruit tree on Fatu-Hiva.
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