What is the Polynesian Triangle?
The Polynesian Triangle is a large imaginary triangle in the Pacific Ocean, encompassing over 1000 islands. Its vertices include the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Within the Polynesian Triangle is the area known as Polynesia (“many islands”), composed of seven primary cultures: New Zealand, Hawai’i, Rapa Nui, Marquesas, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tonga. The native languages within the Polynesian Triangle are known as the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of languages by linguists. This language group derives from the proto-Austronesian language which was spoken in Southeast Asia 5000 years ago. Polynesia is not to be confused with Melanesia, the numerous small islands sprinkled north of Australia. Fiji is a Melanesian island often mistaken as Polynesian. The Polynesian Triangle is one of the last areas on Earth to be colonized by humans. Colonization began about 1600-1200 BCE and was not completed until 1000 AD. It began from the Bismarck Archipelago, near New Guinea, w
