Society Islands

The Society Islands (French: Îles de la Société or officially Archipel de la Société; Tahitian: Tōtaiete mā) are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is believed to have been named by Captain James Cook during his first voyage in 1769, supposedly in honour of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands; however, Cook himself stated in his journal that he called the islands Society "as they lay contiguous to one another."

Society Islands

The Society Islands (French: Îles de la Société or officially Archipel de la Société; Tahitian: Tōtaiete mā) are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is believed to have been named by Captain James Cook during his first voyage in 1769, supposedly in honour of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands; however, Cook himself stated in his journal that he called the islands Society "as they lay contiguous to one another."