Chapter 3: Settlement Patterns before 1950

European explorers first sighted and explored Bora Bora in 1722. England established a Protestant church in 1822 and was made a protectorate of France in 1888 after the annexation of French Polynesia. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, however, Polynesian chiefs ruled the island. Many of the first Europeans stayed, but the island was and continuous to be mostly populated by Polynesians. Therefore, the languages spoken were and continue to be French and Polynesian dialects. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States used the island as a military base, but did not see any combat. After the war was over, many Americans stayed because they loved the island. Prior to 1950 there has been no heavy industrialization and the islands inhabitants has depended on its natural resources (vanilla and mainly coconuts) for exports, while importing a majority of its products.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copra
http://flagspot.net/flags/pf-li-bb.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bora_Bora