Photos and Pictures from French Polynesia : Bora Bora, Moorea, Tahiti, Flowers and Trees, Aerial Photography. The island is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of Bora-Bora, itself in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands. As of 2002, the population was about 7,250 people. The major settlement, Vaitape is on the western side of the island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon. The original name in the Tahitian language might be better rendered as Pora Pora, meaning "First Born". The products of the island are mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra. Bora Bora : only 280km from Tahiti, the Pearl of the Pacific is possibly the single most famous island in the world and superlatives are missing to describe its beauty. Click the picture to see enlarge photos of Bora Bora.