Spread out over more than a thousand miles of open ocean in the South Pacific are 118 islands and atolls that together comprise the nation of French Polynesia. The islands themselves are separated out into six distinct archipelagos, or island groups, and have a total population of only 275,000 people.

Though part of the French Republic since the 16th century, French Polynesia has its own unique culture and history. Like much of the rest of the South Pacific, the islands were originally settled by Polynesian explorers during the Great Polynesian Migration, around 1500 BC. Polynesia’s first encounter with European explorers wouldn’t come for another two thousand years, when Ferdinand Magellan first sighted the islands during his famous circumnavigation of the globe.

Today, French Polynesia represents the last remnant of France’s colonial empire and is the only remaining overseas country under French control. Political independence remains a topic of debate among the French Polynesian people, with many advocating for its complete independence from France.

Outrigger Canoes:

Practiced throughout most of the South Pacific, Va’a Racing is a uniquely Polynesian sport in which competitors race traditional outrigger canoes, or va’as. The islands of French Polynesia are home to the annual “Hawaiki nui va’a”, an international competition in which athletes from all over the world race between the islands of Tahiti, Huahine, and Bora Bora in a grueling 3-day, 129-kilometer challenge unlike any other.

More than just an athletic event, va’a racing is a continuation of the grand seafaring legacy of those early Polynesian explorers who first dared to cross the Pacific almost 2,000 years ago.