Bora Bora
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Posted by Gus Leous in Travelling section |
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The letter b does not excist in Tahitian, so Bora Bora is actually Pora Pora, what means First Born.
Bora Bora is a part of French Polynesia. French Polynesia consists of 35 islands 83 atolls. There are scattered over 4,5 million square kilometers of the southeastern Pacific. The islands only have 3800 square kilometer in land area. In total French Polynesia has 189.000 inhabitants.
The official language is French but the native inhabitants speak Polynesian.
Since 1847 French Polynesia is a overseas territory of France. Nowadays a gouverneur, a cabinet council and a assembly of 41 members is governing the islands. The have been chosen on base of the universal suffrage. In Paris the colony is represented by delegates. In 1984 a statute gave the Polynesians more powers, especially in the field of trading. Nowadays there is partial a internal self-government in French Polynesia. The constitution of the Republic of France is in force on the islands.
French Polynesia has a own flag, on which nothing refers to France.
French Polynesia consists of five great archipelagos, the Marquesas Islands, Austral Islands, Gambier Islands, Tuamotus Islands, and the Society Islands. The Society Islands consist of two group of islands; the Windwards and the Leewards, under which Bora Bora.
Bora Bora lies about 260 kilometer northwest of Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia.
Bora Bora is everyone’s idea of a South Pacific island. The island is extremely beautiful. From far you can see the dramatic basalt peaks soar 700 meters above the lagoon.
There are slopes and valleys blossomed with trees, plants and flowers. The hibiscus is often seen at the island.
Bora Bora has a population of 4.500. The most important villages at Bora Bora are Nunue and Faanui.
Bora Bora is more than 7 million years old.
Bora Bora is made up of a 10 kilometer long island, a few smaller high islands in the lagoon, and a long ring of islands on the barrier reef.
One island bears the airport. From there people are taken by boat to the main island.
The Pofai Bay marks the center of the islands collapsed crater with Toopua and Toopuaiti as its eroded west wall. Mount Pahia’s gray basalt mass rises 649 meters in the air, and Mount Otemanu rises with its sheer cliffs 727 meters in the air.
Through the barrier reef is only one entry, it is the Te Ava Nui Pass. There are many dolphins. They race the boats which enter the lagoon.
During World War Two the American set up a refueling and regrouping base on Bora Bora. There are still remains from that time. The old American warf is still there and on several places on the island are guns placed. They were to defend the island against a suprise Japanese attack that never materialized. The American built an airfield and a 32 kilometer long road around the island. Also they left behind 130 half-caste babies when they left the island at the end of the war.
The inhabitants of Bora Bora particularly live of tourism. Almost a quater of all hotelrooms in French Polynesia is to find on Bora Bora!
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