The Territory of French Polynesia, formerly "The French Colony of Oceania", is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. The territory comprises five main groups: the Society Islands, which include Tahiti and Bora-Bora, the Marquesas Islands, the Austral Islands (which are sometimes known as the Tubuai Islands), the Tuamotu Archipelago and the Gambier Islands. There are altogether 120 islands, 25 of which are uninhabited. The islands have a population of around 295,000 (July 2011 est.).

The island of Tahiti is the political and economic centre of French Polynesia. It is the most densely- populated and the capital city of Papeete, home to 133,000 inhabitants, is located here. In 1880 Tahiti became a French colony and the other islands were later annexed. In 1946, the country became an overseas territory and in the decades that followed it was granted increasing autonomy to rule over its own affairs.