Leeward Islands (Society Islands)

The Leeward Islands form the western half of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the South Pacific, covering about 404 square kilometers and home to more than 36,000 people as of 2022. The group is volcanic in origin, built from trachyte, dolerite and basalt, though its volcanic activity ended so long ago that erosion has nearly erased the original craters. Raiatea is the largest island and administrative center, with Mount Tefatua rising to 1,017 meters as the group's highest point, and the group also includes Bora Bora, known for tourism and its Second World War military history, Huahine to the east, and Tahaʻa to the north of Raiatea's town of Uturoa, along with several atolls and smaller islands. In total the Leeward Islands comprise nine distinct islands.