{"id":1117,"date":"2024-12-07T14:27:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T14:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/?page_id=1117"},"modified":"2024-12-07T14:27:44","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T14:27:44","slug":"papeete","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/papeete\/","title":{"rendered":"Papeete"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Papeete<\/strong> (Tahitian<\/a>: Pape\u02bbete<\/em>, pronounced [pa.pe.\u0294e.te]<\/a>; old name: Vai\u02bbete<\/em>[4]<\/sup>) is the capital city<\/a> of French Polynesia<\/a>, an overseas collectivity<\/a> of the French Republic<\/a> in the Pacific Ocean<\/a>. The commune<\/a> of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti<\/a>, in the administrative subdivision<\/a> of the Windward Islands<\/a>, of which Papeete is the administrative capital.[5]<\/sup> Both the President of French Polynesia<\/a>and French High Commissioner<\/a> reside in Papeete.[6]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>.[6]<\/sup> The Windward Islands are themselves part of the Society Islands<\/a>. The name Pape\u02bbet\u0113,[Note 1]<\/sup> means “water from a basket”[7]<\/sup>\u2014 this was an effect of a naming taboo<\/a> during P\u014dmare I<\/a>‘s reign where the Tahitian contemporary word for water vai<\/em> was substituted with pape<\/em>,[8]<\/sup> the old name Vai\u02bbet\u0113<\/strong><\/em> is still recognised in some areas such as the Marquesas<\/a>.[4]<\/sup> The urban area<\/a> of Pape\u02bbet\u0113 had a total population of 124,724 inhabitants at the 2022 census, 26,654 of whom lived in the commune<\/a> of Pape\u02bbet\u0113 proper.[3]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The commune of Pape\u02bbet\u0113 is subdivided into eleven quartiers<\/em> (wards):[9]<\/sup>[10]<\/sup>[11]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pape\u02bbet\u0113 features a tropical monsoon climate<\/a> (Am<\/em> according to the K\u00f6ppen climate classification<\/a>) 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Pape\u02bbet\u0113<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1902, it became necessary to move the post office of Pape\u02bbet\u0113 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<\/a> railway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, during the construction of the Fa\u02bbaiere water tower with a capacity of 150,000 litres for the drinking water supply of the city of Pape\u02bbet\u0113, 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<\/a> or Decauville<\/a> 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.[14]<\/sup> Paul Decauville<\/a> mentioned in a letter to Governor Theodore Lacascade<\/a>, dated 18 June 1891, an order for “15 kilometres (9.3 mi) of 600 mm (1 ft 115\u20448 in) portable rail tracks and about 12,000 francs of rolling stock, payable in three years,” presumably for a tramway from Pape\u02bbet\u0113 to Puna\u02bbauia<\/a> operated by hand or animals.[15]<\/sup>[16]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the outbreak of World War I<\/a> Pape\u02bbet\u0113 was shelled<\/a> by German vessels, causing loss of life and significant damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The growth of the city was boosted by the decision to move the French nuclear weapon test range from Algeria<\/a>, which had become independent, to the atolls of Moruroa<\/a> and Fangataufa<\/a>, some 1,500 km (930 mi) to the east of Tahiti. This was motivated, in particular, by the construction of the Fa\u02bba\u02bb\u0101 International Airport<\/a>, the only international airport in French Polynesia, near Pape\u02bbet\u0113. In 1983, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> built the Pape\u02bbet\u0113 Tahiti Temple<\/a> here because of its large number of members in the region. On 5 September 1995 the government of Jacques Chirac<\/a> conducted the first of a series of nuclear test detonations off the shores of Moruroa. A resulting riot in Pape\u02bbet\u0113 lasted for two days and damaged the international airport, injured 40 people, and scared away tourism for some time.[17]<\/sup>[18]<\/sup> Similar rioting had occurred after another French nuclear test in the same area in 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transportation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 P\u014dmare Boulevard, named after the Tahitian Royal Family<\/a> of the 19th century. By air, passengers depart from the Fa\u02bba\u02bb\u0101 International Airport<\/a>. Domestic interisland service is operated by Air Tahiti<\/a> with international flights being operated by Air Tahiti Nui<\/a>, Air France<\/a>, LATAM Chile<\/a>, United<\/a> and other airlines. By sea, passengers can use a marine ferry service for travel to Moorea<\/a> or a Bora Bora cruise line service for travel to Bora Bora<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demographics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The urban area of Pape\u02bbet\u0113 had a total population of 124,724 inhabitants at the 2022 census, 26,654 of whom lived in the commune<\/a> of Pape\u02bbet\u0113 proper.[3]<\/sup> The urban area of Pape\u02bbet\u0113 is made up of six communes. They are listed from northeast to southwest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n