Society Islands

Society Islands, southern Pacific islands covering about 650 sq mi (1,684 sq km) in western French Polynesia, comprising the Windward and Leeward archipelagoes. Discovered in 1607 by the Portuguese but named for Britain's Royal Society, which explored the mountainous, volcanic, and coral islands in 1768, the 450-mi (724-km)-long chain has been France's since 1843. Most of the Polynesian population (about 100,000) live on the largest island, Tahiti, in the Windwards. Copra, sugar, and tourism are important industries.