ABSTRACT
East Polynesia includes the Cook Islands, the Society Islands, the Austral Islands, the Tuamotu Islands, Mangareva, the Marquesas, Hawai ' i , Rapa N u i , Aotearoa, and the Chatham Islands (see map). Aotearoa and the Chatham Islands form an independent nation, N e w Zealand. Rapa N u i is a dependency of Chi le ; Hawai ' i is a state of the United States of America; the Cook Islands have a special political relationship with New Zealand. The Marquesas, Societies, Australs, Mangareva, and Tuamotus constitute an overseas territory of France known as French Polynesia.
