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Which Pacific island groups are included within Polynesia?
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Polynesian culture
Moai statue, Easter Island.
Polynesia is a vast ethnogeographic region in the east-central Pacific Ocean defined by a large triangular area. The apex of this triangle is the Hawaiian Islands in the north, with its base angles anchored by New Zealand in the west and Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the east.12
In addition to these points, the region encompasses the following island groups and territories:12
- Tuvalu
- Tokelau
- Wallis and Futuna
- Samoa and American Samoa
- Tonga
- Niue
- Cook Islands
- French Polynesia, which includes the Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, Austral Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago (including the Gambier Islands)
- Pitcairn Island
Some definitions also include the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands as part of the region.3