Polynesian islands

The Polynesian islands are a group of over a thousand islands scattered across the central and southern Pacific Ocean, forming one of three major divisions of Oceania alongside Melanesia and Micronesia.

The region spans a vast triangle with Hawaii at the north, New Zealand at the southwest, and Easter Island at the southeast.

Major island groups include Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands.

The islands share related languages, navigation traditions, and cultural practices that spread across the Pacific through remarkable ancient voyaging.