Faaa

Faaa
Tahiti International Airport, Faaa
Location of the commune (in red) within the Windward Islands
Coordinates: 17°33′04″S 149°35′51″W / 17.551°S 149.5974°W / -17.551; -149.5974Coordinates: 17°33′04″S 149°35′51″W / 17.551°S 149.5974°W / -17.551; -149.5974
Country	France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Government
• Mayor	Oscar Temaru 1983 – present
Area1	34.2 km2 (13.2 sq mi)
Population (August 2007 census)2	29,851
• Density	870/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	98715 / 98704
Elevation	0–1,493 m (0–4,898 ft) (avg. 7 m or 23 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Faaa (also Fa'a'ā) is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France in the Pacific Ocean. Faaa is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. Faaa has a population of 29,851, making it the largest commune in Tahiti and French Polynesia. Faaa has many mountains inland that can reach 1,500 m (5,000 ft). Mount Marau is an extinct volcano in the inland limits and can be seen from nearby Moorea. The area of Faaa is 9 m (30 ft) above mean sea level on average.

Faaa has a long history. Captain James Cook landed on Faaa when he came to Tahiti on his expedition. The commune is the political stronghold of independence leader Oscar Temaru who has served three times as president.

In 1988 Faaa succeeded Papeete as the most populated commune in the urban area of Papeete and in French Polynesia. Despite having more inhabitants than Papeete, the urban area is named after Papeete and Faaa is considered a suburb of Papeete due to Papeete's historical importance and status as administrative capital of French Polynesia. The Papeete Urban Area has a population of about 130,000.

Faaa is the political stronghold of independence leader Oscar Temaru, who served three times as president of French Polynesia in 2004, 2005–2006, 2007 and 2011-2013.

Faa'a International Airport is a major airport located in the north of Faa'a commune, some 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of the center of Papeete. The airport is the only international airport in French Polynesia. Travellers from other islands must come to this airport for international flights. Some of the international flights from the airport go to Los Angeles, California; Tokyo, Japan; and Auckland, New Zealand. The airport is easy to access from downtown Faaa. Airport shuttles and Tahiti buses come to the parking lot. There are coconut trees and a Tiki in the parking lot. Flowers from local farms are sent to the airport to be given to arriving passengers.