This map of French Polynesia shows the 3 destinations covered in our guides and the main cities, with terrain and international airports.
French Polynesia has no land border with another country on our base map. Its coasts face: Pacific Ocean. Remote territories (Tuamotu-Gambier, Marquesas Islands and Leeward Islands) appear in inset boxes, each with its own scale.
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Key: red star = capital; blue dot = destination covered by a Destination de Voyage guide; blue italic name = region or island with a guide; grey dot = other city; plane = international airport (IATA code); brown triangle = summit (elevation); green areas = national parks; thick orange line = expressway, light orange = main road; black-and-white line = main railway; grey dashes = regional boundaries; blue = rivers and lakes; shading = terrain; grid = latitude and longitude.
Sources: base map, cities, roads, railways, airports, administrative boundaries, rivers, lakes and hillshading: Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain). Summits and elevations: Wikidata and Natural Earth. Places missing from Natural Earth: Wikipedia coordinates. Map produced by Destination de Voyage.
Regions and destinations on the map of French Polynesia
| Region | Our guides | Other cities on the map |
|---|---|---|
| Leeward Islands | Bora Bora | — |
| Windward Islands | Moorea, Tahiti | Papeete |
Straight-line distances between the main cities
Straight-line distances calculated from place coordinates (haversine formula). Actual journeys by road, rail, ferry or air are longer.
| Route | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|
| Moorea – Tahiti | 42 km (26 mi) |
| Bora Bora – Moorea | 233 km (145 mi) |
Terrain, national parks and airports
Main summits (elevations from Wikidata / Natural Earth): Mount Orohena (2,241 m / 7,352 ft), Mount Ooumu (1,185 m / 3,888 ft).
International airports shown: PPT (Tahiti Faa’a).
Our guides by destination
The 5 regions of French Polynesia and what sets them apart
The Natural Earth base map divides French Polynesia into 5 first-level subdivisions. These are the grey dashed boundaries on the map. The table ranks them from largest to smallest, with the cities, highest point and international airports the map places in each.
| Region | Type | Area | Cities and guides | Highest point shown | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windward Islands | — | 1,158 km² (447 sq mi) | Moorea, Tahiti, Papeete | Mount Orohena (2,241 m / 7,352 ft) | PPT |
| Marquesas Islands | — | 1,074 km² (415 sq mi) | — | Mount Ooumu (1,185 m / 3,888 ft) | — |
| Tuamotu-Gambier | — | 666 km² (257 sq mi) | — | — | — |
| Leeward Islands | — | 327 km² (126 sq mi) | — | — | — |
| Austral Islands | — | 112 km² (43 sq mi) | — | — | — |
- Largest: Windward Islands, about 1,158 km² (447 sq mi), or 35% of the mapped territory.
- Smallest: Austral Islands, about 112 km² (43 sq mi).
- Highest region: Windward Islands, home to Mount Orohena (2,241 m / 7,352 ft), the highest summit shown on the map.
- Region best covered by our guides: Windward Islands (Moorea and Tahiti).
- Air access: the international airports on the map are spread across 1 of the 5 regions (Windward Islands).
How to read the map of French Polynesia
- Extent: the mapped territory covers about 3,337 km² (1,288 sq mi), calculated by Destination de Voyage on the Natural Earth outline; Wikidata gives 4,167 km² (1,609 sq mi). It spans 27.64° S to 7.95° S in latitude and 154.54° W to 134.94° W in longitude, about 2,190 km (1,361 mi) north to south and 2,074 km (1,289 mi) west to east (bounding rectangle, including distant territories).
- Outline: the perimeter of the territory on the map (coasts and land borders) is about 2,193 km (1,363 mi). The simplified Natural Earth outline smooths out small detours: the real length of the coastline is greater. Destination de Voyage calculation.
- Time zone (IANA tz database 2026b): Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea:
Pacific/Tahiti(UTC−10, all year); Marquesas:Pacific/Marquesas(UTC−9:30, all year); Gambier:Pacific/Gambier(UTC−9, all year). Time difference and clock changes: time difference in French Polynesia. - Terrain: shading shows the terrain and brown triangles mark the summits. The highest shown are Mount Orohena (2,241 m / 7,352 ft), Mount Ooumu (1,185 m / 3,888 ft). Wikidata gives Mount Orohena (2,241 m / 7,352 ft) as the highest point.
- International airports (plane icon): PPT (Tahiti Faa’a, about 5.4 km / 3 mi from the centre of Papeete). Straight-line distances: Destination de Voyage calculation.
Distances between the main cities (cross table)
Straight-line distances between the capital, our destinations and the largest cities on the map, with the direction from the first city. Road or ferry routes always add distance.
| Route | Straight-line distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Moorea → Bora Bora | 233 km (145 mi) | north-west |
| Moorea → Tahiti | 42 km (26 mi) | east |
| Moorea → Papeete | 28 km (17 mi) | east |
| Bora Bora → Tahiti | 274 km (170 mi) | south-east |
| Bora Bora → Papeete | 258 km (160 mi) | south-east |
| Tahiti → Papeete | 18 km (11 mi) | north-west |
Typical itineraries in French Polynesia from the map
To link our 3 destinations without backtracking, here is the shortest order step by step from the first point (nearest-neighbour method, straight-line distances): Moorea → Tahiti (42 km / 26 mi) → Bora Bora (274 km / 170 mi). Total: about 316 km (196 mi) in a straight line. Adjust for flights, ferries and the season.
- Our complete guide to French Polynesia: must-sees, detailed itineraries and budget
- When to go to French Polynesia: best time to visit and month-by-month climate
- Time difference in French Polynesia: what time is it?
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest summit shown on the map?
Mount Orohena, at an elevation of 2,241 m / 7,352 ft (source: Natural Earth).
Which international airports are on the map?
PPT (Tahiti Faa’a).
Why are some islands shown in inset boxes?
They are too far from the main territory to fit at the same scale: Tuamotu-Gambier, Marquesas Islands and Leeward Islands are shown separately, each with its own scale.
How many regions does French Polynesia have?
Our map, based on Natural Earth, shows 5 first-level subdivisions. Wikidata lists 47 entities of the type “commune of French Polynesia” attached directly to the territory; the official division may differ from the map’s.
Where is French Polynesia?
Continent: Oceania (Wikidata). French Polynesia lies in the southern hemisphere, west of the Greenwich meridian. Coasts: Pacific Ocean.
What is the area of French Polynesia?
About 3,337 km² (1,288 sq mi) by our calculation on the Natural Earth outline; Wikidata gives 4,167 km² (1,609 sq mi). Differences come from the precision of the coastline and inland waters.
Our sources
- Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain): country and subdivision boundaries, cities, airports, rivers, lakes, terrain, on naturalearthdata.com.
- Wikidata, item Q30971 (French Polynesia): area, highest point, continent and subdivisions, accessed 23 October 2026.
- Wikipedia (French edition): coordinates of places missing from Natural Earth.
- Destination de Voyage calculations: distances (haversine, radius 6,371 km), directions and areas (WGS84 ellipsoid, pyproj library).
- Our methodology
