French Polynesia has a population of around 280,000, with roughly two-thirds living on Tahiti. Papeete and its suburbs account for most of that concentration — the outer islands and atolls are sparsely populated, some with only a few hundred residents.
About 78% of the population is Polynesian, descended from the Austronesian peoples who settled these islands around 2,000 years ago, having navigated from Southeast Asia across thousands of miles of open ocean using stars, swells, and birds. The Chinese community — around 12% of the population — traces its origins to workers brought from Guangdong province in the 1860s to work the cotton fields. Today the Chinese-Polynesian community is prominent in commerce throughout the islands. French-born residents and Europeans make up the remaining 10% or so.
Tahitian is the language of everyday life for most people, with French as the official language of government, education, and business. In the Marquesas, Marquesan is spoken; in the Tuamotus, Paumotu. All of these Polynesian languages are closely related. English is spoken in tourist areas.
The dominant religions are Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, introduced by European missionaries in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Churches are central to community life on most islands, and Sunday is taken seriously as a day of rest — expect many businesses to be closed.
Polynesian hospitality is not a cliché. Visitors are typically welcomed warmly, and the offering of a tiare flower — the white gardenia — is a genuine gesture of welcome. In more traditional communities, asking permission before photographing people or entering sacred sites is expected and appreciated.