Polynesia is a group of scattered islands in the Pacific Ocean. These islands were settled around 2000 BC. The settlers came from other islands in Southeast Asia, which were probably overpopulated. This would have meant that the farmland was exhausted, forests had been cut down, and the soil had eroded away.
So, some adventurous souls set sail to find a new land to make their home. They arrived in the islands of Polynesia with pigs, dogs, and hens. They built thatched wooden houses, gathered bananas, coconuts, and breadfruit, and fishes.
Polynesia means ‘many islands’ in Greek. The cultures of the different islands are very similar. After their discovery by the Europeans in the nineteenth century, and especially after World War II, the customs, beliefs and lifestyles of these islands have undergone great changes.
