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Most of the 115, 000 or so inhabitants of Tahiti are Polynesians. The main town on the island is Papeete with almost 25,000 residents. Papeete is also the capital of French Polynesia.

Historical dates in Tahiti include 1768, when French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville claimed it for France and 1788, the year that British naval office William Bligh, captain of the Bounty, landed on the island.

There are many hotels, resorts and pensions on the island for the steady stream of visitors who arrive each year.