Faaa

French commune|nomcommune=Faaa
map_size=300px
adjustable_

---

mapcaption=Location of the commune (in red) within the Windward Islands
overseas collectivity=French Polynesia
lat_long=
administrative subdivision=Windward Islands
commune centre=Faaa
insee=98715
cp=98704
mayor=Oscar Temaru
1983 – present|mandat=
longitude=-149.6|latitude=-17.55
alt moy=|alt mini=0 m|alt maxi=1,321 m
km²=34.2
sans=29,851
date-sans=Aug. 2007 census
dens=873|date-dens=2007 census|

Faaa (see footnote for variant spelling) is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas territory 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.

In 1988 Faaa supplanted 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.Faaa is the political fief of independence leader Oscar Temaru, who served three times as president of French Polynesia in 2004, 2005-2006, and 2007.

Faa'a International Airport is located inside the commune, approximately 5 km (3 miles) southwest from the town center of Papeete.

French Polynesia's university, the Université de la Polynésie Française, is also located in Faaa.

Note

The name Faaa is sometimes spelled "Faa’a" in Tahitian, using the apostrophe (in fact a variant of it hard to differentiate from the regular apostrophe when using small fonts) to represent the glottal stop, as promoted by the "Académie Tahitienne" and accepted by the territorial government [http://www.farevanaa.pf/theme_detail.php?id=5] . This apostrophe, however, is often omitted.