Extracted the book " Tahiti today and all these islands " by Arlette EYRAUD, with the editions J.A.
Located between 7° and 10° of southern latitude, 138° and 141° of western longitude, to some 1400 km in the North-East of Tahiti, to 500 km of the most offset atolls of Tuamotus and to 3700 km of Hawaii, the Marquises are of all the Polynesian known archipelagoes nearest to the Ecuador and more exposed to the cold counter-current of the Pacific.
They include/understand six principal islands and six small islands, divided into two groups which cover a total surface of 1300 km², the equivalent of joined together Tahiti and Moorea. The Northern group is made of Nuku Hiva administrative the place head, Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Eiao, High Iti, Hatutuaa and Motu One, plus some islands of sand. The group of the southern islands gathers Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva, Motane, Fatu Hutu and some benches or reefs.
Only the first three towns of each group are habited. The total population is about less than 8000 inhabitants.
Directed the North-West in south-east along an underwater chain of 360 km, the Marquises were formed between 6,3 and 1,3 million years before us, the oldest islands being perhaps Eiao and volcanic Hiva Oa. Grounds with the raised relief, they offer an aspect particularly tormented. Radiating starting from top and with high plateaus, of the notched chains of narrow and insulated valleys drop to the cliffs which dominate the ocean. The coasts born of lava flow still quite visible, have cut deep the bay wall aspect where marine water goes up sometimes in the rivers. In spite of some isolated coral formations, the Marquises, are indeed deprived of this belt of lagoon which surrounds water of the Society. The sea-bed drops fast inclined, and the strong swell of the Pacific comes to break with violence with the foot of the cliffs which it digs of deep cavities, serious of fabulous decoration and details in giant blocks. The strong erosion, which is one of the characteristics of this archipelago also carved the mountains that one sees spouting out in peaks and pitons in the center of the islands.
With a variable mode of rains, the climate is drier than in the other archipelagoes and the frontages of the islands are often stripped.
Many excavations were led to the Marquises since 1950, especially by American researchers. According to the updated material indices, it seems today that the first découvreurs of the Eastern Pacific came from the Samoa and Tonga well before Jesus-Christ who the Marquises were a center of diffusion of the people and Polynesian cultures towards Mangareva, the Easter Island, the archipelago of the Company and Hawaii.
