View source for Papeete

{{short description|Capital city of French Polynesia}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name                   = Pape{{okina}}etē
|commune status         = [[Communes of France|Commune]]
| image                 = {{Photomontage
| photo1a                 = Papeete - Marina Taina.JPG
| photo2a                 = Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Papeete - panoramio.jpg
| photo2b                 = Palais présidentiel Papeete.jpg
| photo3a                 = Papeete Town Hall, Papeete, 2009.jpg
| photo3b                 = Bassin de la Reine.jpg
| spacing                 = 2
| position                = center
| color_border            = white
| color                   = white
| size                    = 280
| foot_montage            = Top: aerial view of Pape'etē; middle: Cathedral of Notre Dame of Pape{{okina}}etē, Presidential palace; bottom: Pape'etē City Hall, Bougainville Park 
}}
|adjustable map         = Papeete1.png
|map caption            = Location of the commune (in red) within the Windward Islands
|administrative subdivision = [[Windward Islands (Society Islands)|Windward Islands]]
|utc offset             = −10:00
|INSEE                  = 98735
|postal code            = 98714
|mayor                  = [[Michel Buillard]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term                   = 2020&ndash;2026
|coordinates            = {{coord|-17.535|-149.5696|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m            = 
|elevation min m        = 0
|elevation max m        = 621
|area km2               = 17.4
|urban area km2         = 299.5
|area footnotes         = <ref name=area>{{cite web|url=http://www.ispf.pf/docs/default-source/rp1996/r1.xls?sfvrsn=0|title=R1- Population sans doubles comptes, des subdivisions, communes et communes associées de Polynésie française, de 1971 à 1996|publisher=ISPF|access-date=2019-03-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114000509/http://www.ispf.pf/Libraries/RP1996/r1.sflb.ashx|archive-date=2012-11-14}}</ref>
|population             = 26654
|population date        = 2022
|population footnotes   = <ref name=pop2022>{{cite web|url=https://www.ispf.pf/content//uploads/RP_2022_Decret_n_2022_1592_du_20_decembre_2022_authentifiant_les_resultats_du_recensement_de_la_population_2022_JOPF_778cd9be0e.pdf|title= Les résultats du recensement de la population 2022 de Polynésie française|language=fr|trans-title=Results of the 2022 population census of French Polynesia|publisher=Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française|date=January 2023}}</ref>
|urban pop              = 124274
}}
'''Papeete''' ([[Tahitian language|Tahitian]]: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced {{IPA|ty|pa.pe.ʔe.te|}}; old name: ''Vaiʻetē'')<ref name=Sch>Personal communication with Michael Koch in {{cite book |last1=Schütz |first1=Albert J. |title=Hawaiian language: past, present, and future: what every teacher and student of Hawaiian might like to know about the history and future of the language |date=2020 |publisher=University of Hawai'i |location=Honolulu |isbn=9780824869830 |page=5}}</ref> is the [[capital city]] of [[French Polynesia]], an [[overseas collectivity]] of the [[France|French Republic]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The [[Communes of France|commune]] of Papeʻetē is located on the island of [[Tahiti]], in the [[Administrative divisions of French Polynesia|administrative subdivision]] of the [[Windward Islands (Society Islands)|Windward Islands]], of which Papeʻetē is the administrative capital.<ref name=#2005-1611>[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/decret/2005/12/20/DOMA0500013D/jo/texte Décret n° 2005-1611 du 20 décembre 2005 pris pour l'application du statut d'autonomie de la Polynésie française] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327233552/https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/decret/2005/12/20/DOMA0500013D/jo/texte |date=2019-03-27 }}, [[Légifrance]]</ref> Both the [[President of French Polynesia]] and [[High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia|French High Commissioner]] reside in Papeʻetē.<ref name="Kay2001p106">Kay, p. 106</ref>

It is the primary center of Tahitian and French Polynesian public and private governmental, commercial, industrial, and financial services, the hub of French Polynesian tourism and a commonly used [[Port of call (nautical term)|port of call]].<ref name="Kay2001p106"/> The Windward Islands are themselves part of the [[Society Islands]]. The name Papeʻetē,<ref group="Note">Sometimes also spelled ''Papeete'' in languages other than [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]]. The use of the [[{{okina}}okina]], which looks similar to an apostrophe, to represent the [[glottal stop]], is promoted by the ''Académie Tahitienne'' and accepted by the territorial government (see http://www.farevanaa.pf/theme_detail.php?id=5). The ʻokina, however, is often omitted. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626060649/http://www.farevanaa.pf/theme_detail.php?id=5 |date=June 26, 2006 }}</ref> means "water from a basket"<ref name="Kay2001p102">Kay, p. 102.</ref>— this was an effect of a [[Tahitian language#Taboo names – piʼi|naming taboo]] during [[Pōmare I]]'s reign where the Tahitian contemporary word for water ''vai'' was substituted with ''pape'',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=White |first1=Ralph Gardner |title=Borrowing and Taboo in Eastern Polynesia |journal=The Journal of the Polynesian Society |date=1968 |volume=77 |issue=1 |pages=64–5 |jstor=20704526 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20704526 |issn=0032-4000}}</ref> the old name '''''Vaiʻetē''''' is still recognised in some areas such as [[Marquesas Islands|the Marquesas]].<ref name=Sch/> The [[urban area]] of Pape{{okina}}etē had a total population of 124,724 inhabitants at the 2022 census, 26,654 of whom lived in the [[Commune in France|commune]] of Pape{{okina}}etē proper.<ref name=pop2022/>

==Geography==
{{Css Image Crop|Image = FRE-OCE-10-French Oceania-50 centimes (1943).jpg|bSize = 285|cWidth = 285|cHeight = 181|oTop = 183|oLeft = 3|Location = right|Description={{center|A 50 centimes [[World War II]] banknote (1943), printed in Pape{{okina}}etē, depicting the outline of [[Tahiti]] (rev).}}}}
The commune of Pape{{okina}}etē is subdivided into eleven ''quartiers'' (wards):<ref>[http://www.ispf.pf/ISPF/Libraries/RP2007/Quartiers_des_Iles_Du_Vent.pdf Arue – 12A Arahiri/Rimapp]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723154259/http://www.ispf.pf/ISPF/Libraries/RP2007/Quartiers_des_Iles_Du_Vent.pdf |date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ispf.pf/docs/default-source/cartographie/Papeete_gen.pdf |title=Map of wards subdivision |access-date=2020-09-22 |archive-date=2021-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010143924/https://www.ispf.pf/docs/default-source/cartographie/Papeete_gen.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ispf.pf/docs/default-source/publi-pr/Atlas_d%C3%A9mographique_-_recensement_de_2007_-_Parties_R%C3%A9trospective_nomenclatures_et_d%C3%A9finitions.pdf |title=List of wards subdivision |access-date=2020-09-22 |archive-date=2021-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105063645/https://www.ispf.pf/docs/default-source/publi-pr/Atlas_d%c3%a9mographique_-_recensement_de_2007_-_Parties_R%c3%a9trospective_nomenclatures_et_d%c3%a9finitions.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{| class="toptextcells"
|-
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! class="hintergrundfarbe6" | ID<br />Quartier
! class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Quartier
! class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Area<br />km<sup>2</sup>
! class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Pop.<br />2017-08-17
! class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Density<br />/km<sup>2</sup>
! class="hintergrundfarbe6" | Location
|-
|-bgcolor="#FFE7BA"
| style="text-align:left" | 35A
| style="text-align:left" | Manuhōʻē -<br />Fareʻute - Motu uta
| align="right" | 1.15
| align="right" | 2,301
| align="right" | 2,000
| Coast
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35B
| style="text-align:left" | Patutoa
| align="right" | 0.44
| align="right" | 1,653
| align="right" | 3,748
| Coast
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35C
| style="text-align:left" | Taunoa
| align="right" | 0.40
| align="right" | 2,187
| align="right" | 5,512
| Coast
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35D
| style="text-align:left" | Fāriʻipiti
| align="right" | 0.34
| align="right" | 1,811
| align="right" | 5,332
| Near coast
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35E
| style="text-align:left" | Titioro
| align="right" | 3.53
| align="right" | 3,566
| align="right" | 1,009
| Inland
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35F
| style="text-align:left" | Tepapa
| align="right" | 4.63
| align="right" | 3,407
| align="right" | 736
| Inland
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35G
| style="text-align:left" | Faiere
| align="right" | 0.87
| align="right" | 1,933
| align="right" | 2,213
| Coast
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35H
| style="text-align:left" | Pic Rouge
| align="right" | 3.23
| align="right" | 1,973
| align="right" | 611
| Inland
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35I
| style="text-align:left" | Tīpaeruʻi
| align="right" | 1.93
| align="right" | 4,187
| align="right" | 2,143
| Coast
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35J
| style="text-align:left" | Paofai
| align="right" | 0.60
| align="right" | 1,638
| align="right" | 2,743
| Coast
|-
| style="text-align:left" | 35K
| style="text-align:left" | Mamaʻo
| align="right" | 0.52
| align="right" | 2,269
| align="right" | 4,343
| Near coast
|-
|-style="background: #DDD;" | class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left" | 35
| style="text-align:left" | Papeʻetē
| align="right" | 17.64
| align="right" | 26,925
| align="right" | 1,526
| 
|}
|-
|[[File:Quartiers_de_Papeete.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|center|Pape{{okina}}etē: subdivision in 11 ''quartiers'']]
|}

===Climate===
Pape{{okina}}etē features a [[tropical monsoon climate]] (''Am'' according to the [[Köppen climate classification]]) with a wet season and dry season, bordering a tropical rainforest climate, with high temperatures and humidity year round. However, precipitation is observed even during the city's dry season. The dry season is short, covering only the months of August and September. The rest of the year is wet, with the heaviest precipitation falling in the months of December and January. Sunshine is moderately high, as most precipitation comes as thunderstorms and cyclones, and does not last for long.

{{Weather box
| location = Pape{{okina}}etē (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1976−present)
| metric first = Y
| single line = Y
| Jan record high C = 36.0
| Feb record high C = 34.3
| Mar record high C = 35.3
| Apr record high C = 35.0
| May record high C = 34.5
| Jun record high C = 33.8
| Jul record high C = 33.0
| Aug record high C = 33.9
| Sep record high C = 33.9
| Oct record high C = 33.9
| Nov record high C = 34.0
| Dec record high C = 34.3
| year record high C = 36.0
| Jan high C = 31.2
| Feb high C = 31.4
| Mar high C = 31.9
| Apr high C = 31.8
| May high C = 31.1
| Jun high C = 30.3
| Jul high C = 30.0
| Aug high C = 30.0
| Sep high C = 30.3
| Oct high C = 30.5
| Nov high C = 30.6
| Dec high C = 30.4
| year high C = 30.8
| Jan mean C = 27.1
| Feb mean C = 27.2
| Mar mean C = 27.6
| Apr mean C = 27.6
| May mean C = 26.8
| Jun mean C = 25.9
| Jul mean C = 25.6
| Aug mean C = 25.5
| Sep mean C = 25.9
| Oct mean C = 26.3
| Nov mean C = 26.6
| Dec mean C = 26.6
| year mean C = 26.6
| Jan low C = 23.0
| Feb low C = 23.1
| Mar low C = 23.4
| Apr low C = 23.3
| May low C = 22.6
| Jun low C = 21.6
| Jul low C = 21.2
| Aug low C = 21.1
| Sep low C = 21.6
| Oct low C = 22.1
| Nov low C = 22.6
| Dec low C = 22.9
| year low C = 22.4
| Jan record low C = 19.2
| Feb record low C = 19.2
| Mar record low C = 20.4
| Apr record low C = 20.1
| May record low C = 19.5
| Jun record low C = 16.9
| Jul record low C = 16.0
| Aug record low C = 17.0
| Sep record low C = 17.0
| Oct record low C = 16.0
| Nov record low C = 19.0
| Dec record low C = 19.4
| year record low C = 16.0
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 317.5
| Feb precipitation mm = 277.7
| Mar precipitation mm = 240.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 143.1
| May precipitation mm = 149.5
| Jun precipitation mm = 80.8
| Jul precipitation mm = 62.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 66.4
| Sep precipitation mm = 64.3
| Oct precipitation mm = 120.9
| Nov precipitation mm = 155.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 396.8
| year precipitation mm = 2075.1
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 14.6
| Feb precipitation days = 13.4
| Mar precipitation days = 11.3
| Apr precipitation days = 9.2
| May precipitation days = 8.5
| Jun precipitation days = 6.0
| Jul precipitation days = 5.7
| Aug precipitation days = 5.2
| Sep precipitation days = 5.2
| Oct precipitation days = 7.8
| Nov precipitation days = 9.9
| Dec precipitation days = 15.3
| year precipitation days = 112.1
| Jan sun = 215.5
| Feb sun = 199.2
| Mar sun = 226.0
| Apr sun = 230.3
| May sun = 228.6
| Jun sun = 220.0
| Jul sun = 235.2
| Aug sun = 251.1
| Sep sun = 241.6
| Oct sun = 232.1
| Nov sun = 208.7
| Dec sun = 196.6
| year sun = 2684.9
| source 1 = Meteociel<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=98735002|title=Normales et records pour Papeete 2 (987)|publisher=Meteociel|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref>
| source 2 = NOAA (sun 1961–1990)<ref>{{cite web
| url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-V/FP/91938.TXT| title = Papeete Sun Normals 1961-1990 | access-date =12 November 2015 | publisher = NOAA}}</ref>
| source = 
}}

== History of Pape{{okina}}etē ==
{{Multiple image|total_width = 750
<!-- Layout parameters -->
| align             = <!-- right (default), left, center, none --> 
| direction         = 
| image1            = Déplacement du bureau de poste de Papeete en Polynésie Française, 1902 a.jpg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Déplacement du bureau de poste de Papeete en Polynésie Française, 1902 b.jpg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = 
| image3            = Déplacement du bureau de poste de Papeete en Polynésie Française, 1902 c.jpg
| alt3              = 
| caption3          = 
| footer            = Relocation of the post office using a [[Decauville]] railway in 1902
}}
In 1902, it became necessary to move the post office of Pape{{okina}}etē to another location. Instead of demolishing it and rebuilding it at the new site, it was lifted from the subsoil and moved as a whole on a [[Decauville]] railway.

Previously, during the construction of the Fa{{okina}}aiere water tower with a capacity of 150,000 litres for the drinking water supply of the city of Pape{{okina}}etē, a difference in altitude of {{convert|37|metres|ft}} was overcome with a light railway laid on a {{convert|220|metre}} long inclined plane. A winch driven by a 12-horsepower [[John Fowler & Co.|Fowler]] or [[Decauville]] locomobile carried three narrow gauge railway trucks at a time, consuming up to {{convert|200|kg}} of coal per day for about sixty journeys.<ref>Aubrac: [http://forum.e-train.fr/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=70842#p1416552 ''Le chemin de fer en Polynésie Française.'']</ref> [[Paul Decauville]] mentioned in a letter to Governor [[Theodore Lacascade]], dated 18 June 1891, an order for "{{convert|15|km}} of {{track gauge|600 mm}} portable rail tracks and about 12,000 francs of rolling stock, payable in three years", presumably for a tramway from Pape{{okina}}etē to [[Punaauia|Puna{{okina}}auia]] operated by hand or animals.<ref>Aubrac: [http://forum.e-train.fr/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=70842&start=15#p1420080 ''Déplacement du bureau de poste de Papeete à l'aide de wagonnets utilisant une voie étroite.'']</ref><ref>[http://materiauxlocauxenpolynesie.blogspot.com/p/une-briqueterie-fare-ute.html ''Matériaux locaux en Polynésie – Plusieurs chemins de fer à Papeete.'']</ref>

[[File:Papeete Town Hall, Papeete, 2009.jpg|thumb|Pape{{okina}}etē Town Hall, a replica of the Royal Palace of Pape{{okina}}etē razed in the 1960s]]

Following the outbreak of [[World War I]], Pape{{okina}}etē was [[Bombardment of Papeete|shelled]] by German vessels, causing loss of life and significant damage.

The growth of the city was boosted by the decision to move the French nuclear weapon test range from [[Algeria]], which had become independent, to the atolls of [[Moruroa]] and [[Fangataufa]], some {{convert|1500|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the east of Tahiti. This was motivated, in particular, by the construction of the [[Faa'a International Airport|Fa{{okina}}a{{okina}}ā International Airport]], the only international airport in French Polynesia, near Pape{{okina}}etē. In 1983, [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] built the [[Papeete Tahiti Temple|Pape{{okina}}etē Tahiti Temple]] here because of its large number of members in the region. On 5 September 1995 the government of [[Jacques Chirac]] conducted the first of a series of nuclear test detonations off the shores of Moruroa. A resulting riot in Pape{{okina}}etē lasted for two days and damaged the international airport, injured 40 people, and scared away tourism for some time.<ref name=testing>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/08/travel/travel-advisory-correspondent-s-report-atomic-tests-rioting-scare-off-tahiti.html| title=Atomic Tests and Rioting Scare Off Tahiti Tourists| last=Shenon| first=Philip| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=8 October 1995| access-date=15 July 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401153842/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/08/travel/travel-advisory-correspondent-s-report-atomic-tests-rioting-scare-off-tahiti.html| archive-date=1 April 2019| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/08/world/tahiti-s-antinuclear-protests-turn-violent.html| title=Tahiti's Antinuclear Protests Turn Violent| last=Shenon| first=Philip| newspaper=The New York Times| date=7 September 1995| access-date=15 July 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526142345/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/08/world/tahiti-s-antinuclear-protests-turn-violent.html| archive-date=26 May 2015| url-status=live}}</ref> Similar rioting had occurred after another French nuclear test in the same area in 1987.

== Transportation ==
The streets of the town center are very busy, and traffic can be a problem since they are very narrow. The Tahiti freeway starts close to the town center as Pōmare Boulevard, named after the [[Pōmare dynasty|Tahitian Royal Family]] of the 19th century. By air, passengers depart from the [[Faa'a International Airport|Fa{{okina}}a{{okina}}ā International Airport]]. Domestic interisland service is operated by [[Air Tahiti]] with international flights being operated by [[Air Tahiti Nui]], [[Air France]], [[LATAM Chile]], [[United Airlines|United]] and other airlines. By sea, passengers can use a marine ferry service for travel to [[Moorea]] or a Bora Bora cruise line service for travel to [[Bora Bora]].

==Demographics==
The urban area of Pape{{okina}}etē had a total population of 124,724 inhabitants at the 2022 census, 26,654 of whom lived in the [[Commune in France|commune]] of Pape{{okina}}etē proper.<ref name=pop2022 /> The urban area of Pape{{okina}}etē is made up of six communes. They are listed from northeast to southwest:

* [[Mahina, French Polynesia|Māhina]]
* [[Arue, French Polynesia|Arue]]
* [[Pirae|Pīraʻe]]
* Pape{{okina}}etē (historically the most populous commune in the urban area, and still the administrative capital)
* [[Faʻaʻā]] (which became in 1988 the most populous commune in the urban area)
* [[Punaauia|Puna{{okina}}auia]]

===Historical population===
{| align="center" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 1px solid #999; border-right: 2px solid #999; border-bottom:2px solid #999; background: #f3fff3"
! !! 1956 !! 1962 !! 1971 !! 1977!! 1983 !! 1988 !! 1996 !! 2002 !! 2007 !! 2012 !! 2017
|- 
| align=center| '''Pape{{okina}}etē (commune)''' || align=center| 18,089 || align=center| 19,903 || align=center| 25,342 || align=center| 22,967 || align=center| 23,496 || align=center| 23,555 || align=center| 25,553 || align=center| 26,222 || align=center| 26,017 || align=center| 25,769 || align=center| 26,926
|-
| align=center| '''Pape{{okina}}etē (urban area)''' || align=center| 28,975 || align=center| 35,514 || align=center| 65,185 || align=center| 77,781 || align=center| 93,294 || align=center| 103,857 || align=center| 115,759 || align=center| 127,327 || align=center| 131,695 || align=center| 133,627 || align=center| 136,771
|-
| colspan=12 align=center| <small>Official figures from population censuses.<ref name=pop2017>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3294364?sommaire=2122700&q=populations+l%C3%A9gales+polyn%C3%A9sie+2017|title=Populations légales de Polynésie française en 2017|publisher=INSEE|access-date=2018-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508033507/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3294364?sommaire=2122700&q=populations+l%C3%A9gales+polyn%C3%A9sie+2017|archive-date=2018-05-08|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=pop>{{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=populegalescom&page=recensement/populegalescom/popcomseupolynesie.htm|title=Population des communes de Polynésie française|publisher=INSEE|access-date=2013-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705074755/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=populegalescom&page=recensement%2Fpopulegalescom%2Fpopcomseupolynesie.htm|archive-date=2014-07-05|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/pt5/travaux_d/00785.pdf|title=Punaauia-Paea - contact ville-campagne et croissance urbaine de la côte ouest de Tahiti|author=Jean Fages|publisher=ORSTOM|year=1975|page=21|access-date=2013-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019121043/http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/pt5/travaux_d/00785.pdf|archive-date=2015-10-19|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ispf.pf/Libraries/RP2002/retro1.sflb.ashx |title=Population statistique des communes et communes associées aux recensements de 1971 à 2002 |publisher=ISPF |access-date=2013-10-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218221151/http://www.ispf.pf/Libraries/RP2002/retro1.sflb.ashx |archive-date=2012-12-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=populegalescom&page=recensement/populegalescom/2007/popcomseupolynesie.htm|title=Population des communes de Polynésie française au RP 2007|publisher=INSEE|access-date=2013-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705083706/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=populegalescom&page=recensement%2Fpopulegalescom%2F2007%2Fpopcomseupolynesie.htm|archive-date=2014-07-05|url-status=live}}</ref></small>
|}

Average population growth of the Pape{{okina}}etē urban area:

* 1956–1962: +1,107 people per year (+3.5% per year)
* 1962–1971: +3,597 people per year (+7.6% per year)
* 1971–1977: +2,025 people per year (+2.9% per year)
* 1977–1983: +2,400 people per year (+2.9% per year)
* 1983–1988: +2,158 people per year (+2.2% per year)
* 1988–1996: +1,489 people per year (+1.4% per year)
* 1996–2002: +1,873 people per year (+1.6% per year)
* 2002–2007: +913 people per year (+0.7% per year)
* 2007–2012: +386 people per year (+0.3% per year)
* 2012–2017: +631 people per year (+0.5% per year)

===Migrations===
The places of birth of the 136,771 residents in the Pape{{okina}}etē urban area at the 2017 census were the following (2007 census in parentheses):<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2017/Donnees_detaillees/Migrations.aspx |title=Recensement 2017 – Données détaillées - Migrations |author=Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) |access-date=2019-04-07 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407144337/http://ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2017/Donnees_detaillees/Migrations.aspx |archive-date=2019-04-07 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2007/Details/Migrations.aspx|title=Recensements de la population → 2007 → Données détaillées → Migrations|publisher=ISPF|access-date=2013-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113145349/http://www.ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2007/Details/Migrations.aspx|archive-date=2013-11-13|url-status=live}}</ref>

* 72.5% were born in [[Tahiti]] (up from 68.4% at the 2007 census)
* 11.3% in [[Metropolitan France]] (down from 12.8% at the 2007 census)
* 6.2% in the [[Society Islands]] (other than Tahiti) (down from 6.8% at the 2007 census)
* 2.9% in the [[Îles Tuamotu-Gambier|Tuamotu-Gambier]] (down from 3.6% at the 2007 census)
* 1.9% in the [[Marquesas Islands]] (down from 2.1% at the 2007 census)
* 1.6% in the [[Austral Islands]] (down from 2.0% at the 2007 census)
* 1.3% in the [[overseas departments and territories of France]] other than French Polynesia (0.9% in [[New Caledonia]] and [[Wallis and Futuna]]; 0.4% in the other overseas departments and collectivities) (down from 1.6% at the 2007 census)
* 0.6% in [[Southeast Asia]] and [[East Asia]] (down from 0.7% at the 2007 census)
* 0.4% in [[North Africa]] (most of them [[Pied-Noir|Pieds-Noirs]]) (down from 0.5% at the 2007 census)
* 1.3% in other foreign countries (down from 1.5% at the 2007 census)

===Languages===
At the 2017 census, 98.4% of the population in the urban area of Pape{{okina}}etē whose age was 15 years and older reported that they could speak [[French language|French]] (up from 98.2% at the 2007 census). 96.7% reported that they could also read and write it (up from 96.5% at the 2007 census). Only 0.7% of the population whose age was 15 years and older had no knowledge of French (down from 1.2% at the 2007 census).<ref name=lang_2017>{{cite web |url=http://ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2017/Donnees_detaillees/Migrations.aspx |title=Recensement 2017 – Données détaillées - Migrations |author=Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) |access-date=2019-06-16 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711072006/http://www.ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2017/Donnees_detaillees/Migrations.aspx |archive-date=2019-07-11 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=lang_2007>{{cite web|url=http://www.ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2007/Details/Langues.aspx|title=Recensements de la population → 2007 → Données détaillées → Langues|publisher=ISPF|access-date=2013-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113145404/http://www.ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2007/Details/Langues.aspx|archive-date=2013-11-13|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the same census, 83.9% of the population in the urban area of Pape{{okina}}etē whose age was 15 years and older reported that the language they spoke the most at home was French (up from 79.7% at the 2007 census). 13.5% reported that [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]] was the language they spoke the most at home (down from 16.5% at the 2007 census). 1.2% reported another [[Polynesian languages|Polynesian language]] (down from 1.7% at the 2007 census), 0.9% reported a [[Varieties of Chinese|Chinese dialect]] (down from 1.6% at the 2007 census), half of whom speak [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]], and 0.5% reported another language (same as in 2007).<ref name=lang_2017 /><ref name=lang_2007 />

19.8% of the population in the urban area of Pape{{okina}}etē whose age was 15 years and older reported that they had no knowledge of any Polynesian language at the 2017 census (up from 19.5% at the 2007 census), whereas 80.2% reported that they had some form of knowledge of at least one Polynesian language (down from 80.5% at the 2007 census).<ref name=lang_2017 /><ref name=lang_2007 />

==Travel and tourism==

Travelling tourists arrive and depart Pape{{okina}}etē by private yacht or via [[cruise ship]] at Pape{{okina}}etē Harbor, or by air at [[Faa'a International Airport|Fa{{okina}}a{{okina}}ā International Airport]], which was completed and opened in 1962.

==Main sights==
[[File:Marché Papeete2.jpg|thumb|[[Papeete Market|Marché Pape{{okina}}etē]]]]
[[File:PapeeteWaterfront2003.jpg|thumb|Pape{{okina}}etē waterfront]]

* The waterfront esplanade.
* Bougainville Park (once named Albert Park, in honour of a former Belgian king and World War One hero), is now named for [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville]], the first French explorer to circumnavigate the globe.
* [[Notre Dame Cathedral, Papeete|Cathedral of Notre Dame of Pape{{okina}}etē]].
* The Territorial Assembly is the heart of the Polynesian government and contains the Territorial Assembly building, the High Commissioner's residence and also a once popular clubhouse of Paul Gauguin. It was also once the site of the royal residence and palace of Queen [[Pōmare IV]] of Tahiti, who ruled from 1827 to 1877.
* Presidential palace.
* [[Papeete Market|Papeʻetē Market]]
* The [[Papeete Tahiti Temple|Pape{{okina}}etē Tahiti Temple]] of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].
* The Monument to [[Pouvanaa a Oopa|Pouvanaʻa a Oʻopa]] (a decorated [[World War I]] hero, Tahitian [[nationalist]], and deputy to Paris for the Tahitian Territorial Assembly).
* The Mairie (town hall).

== In popular culture ==
* The film ''[[El pasajero clandestino]]'' deals with several persons trying to take control of the inheritance of a recently deceased English film magnate, who traveled to Pape{{okina}}etē to look for the heir.
* Pape{{okina}}etē is mentioned in the songs "[[Southern Cross (Crosby, Stills and Nash song)|Southern Cross]]" by [[Crosby, Stills & Nash]] and "[[Somewhere Over China]]" by [[Jimmy Buffett]].
* Pape{{okina}}etē is mentioned in [[Bruce Brown (director)|Bruce Brown]]'s surf film ''[[The Endless Summer]]'' as one of the surf sites visited by the two longboarders chasing the summer season around the world.  The beach at Pape{{okina}}etē is dubbed "Ins and outs" because the steep shore causes waves to break in both directions—toward the beach and out to sea.
* The first chapter of [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s 1984 novel ''[[Job: A Comedy of Justice]]'' is set in Pape'etē. 
* Pape{{okina}}etē is where [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s "The Ebb Tide" begins.
* Pape{{okina}}etē is a setting in ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty]]''.
* [[Papeete (schooner)|''Papeʻetē'']], a [[schooner]] built by [[Matthew Turner (shipbuilder)|Matthew Turner]], who had extensive business interests in Tahiti, was known for a fast passage from San Francisco to Tahiti of 17 days.<ref name = "Gibbs" >{{Cite book
  | last = Gibbs
  | first = Jim
  | author-link = James A. Gibbs
  | title = West Coast Windjammers in Story and Pictures
  | publisher = Superior Publishing Co
  | year = 1968
  | location = Seattle
  | page = 42
  | isbn = 978-0-517-17060-1}}
</ref>
* Pape{{okina}}etē is mentioned in [[Paul Thomas Anderson]]'s crime-drama film ''[[Inherent Vice (film)|Inherent Vice]]'' as a possible destination (never reached) of Burke Stodger in a getaway on his boat after being blacklisted by Hollywood.

==Economy==
[[File:Immeuble Dexter - Pont de L’Est - Papeete - Tahiti - Polynésie française.jpg|thumb|upright|''Immeuble Dexter'', the head office of [[Air Tahiti Nui]]]]
[[Air Tahiti Nui]] has its head office in the ''Immeuble Dexter'' in Pape{{okina}}etē.<ref>"{{cite web |url=http://pf.airtahitinui.com/contactez-air-tahiti-nui.html |title=Air Tahiti Nui Réservation vol à petit prix et promo |access-date=2012-11-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114061401/http://pf.airtahitinui.com/contactez-air-tahiti-nui.html |archive-date=2012-11-14 }}." [[Air Tahiti Nui]]. Retrieved on 7 November 2012. "Tahiti – Siège social Immeuble Dexter – Pont de L'Est – Papeete BP 1673 – 98713 Papeete – Tahiti."</ref>

==Education==
The ''[[Lycée Paul-Gauguin]]'' is located in the city.

== Notable people ==
* [[Chantal Galenon]], politician and women's rights activist
* [[Unutea Hirshon]], politician and activist
* [[Andy Tupaia]], musician<ref name=TJBBio>{{cite web |url=http://www.tahitijukebox.com/artistes.php?artiste_id=110 |title=Andy Tupaia: sensibilité et création musicale |publisher=Tahiti Jukebox |date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040826110109/http://www.tahitijukebox.com/artistes.php?artiste_id=110 |archive-date=26 August 2004}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Présidence.Papeete.JPG|Présidence
File:Cathédrale.Papeete.JPG|[[Notre Dame Cathedral, Papeete|Notre Dame Cathedral]]
File:Ppt-temple-paofai.jpg|Paofai Temple
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Windward Islands (Society Islands)]]

== Notes ==
=== Explanatory footnotes ===
{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== General and cited references ==
* Kay, Robert F. (2001). ''Hidden Tahiti''. Berkeley, California: Ulysses Press. {{ISBN|1-56975-222-2}}.

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Papeete}}
{{Commons category|Papeete}}
* [http://www.ville-papeete.pf/ Pape{{okina}}ete Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519054149/http://www.ville-papeete.pf/ |date=2009-05-19 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111010071555/http://www.tahitiheritage.pf/template.php?page=carte-en.php Pape{{okina}}ete City Tour, over 30 tourist attractions to discover]
* [http://maps.google.fr/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=fr&t=h&msa=0&msid=209566219232022204209.000492f096863fce5d477&source=embed&ll=-17.54079,-149.570382&spn=0.014772,0.01929&z=16 Pape{{okina}}ete City Tour for mobile]

{{Communes of Tahiti}}
{{List of Oceanian capitals by region}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Papeete| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Oceania]]
[[Category:Communes of French Polynesia]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Oceania]]
[[Category:Populated places in Tahiti]]