Moʻorea (English: /ˌmoʊ.oʊˈreɪ.ɑː/ or /ˈmoʊ.oʊreɪ/;[4] Tahitian: Moʻoreʻa, [moʔore(ʔ)a]), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia.

Early Western colonists and voyagers also referred to Moʻorea as York Island or Santo Domingo.

The leading families of Moʻorea remained linked by marriage and kinship for centuries with those of the neighboring island of Tahiti.

The interaction between increasing population density and human modification of the environment resulted in major changes in the form of society.

The so-called Pre-Atiroʻo phase, prior to 1000 CE, is characterized by extensive clearing and cultivation of the valley slopes, which by the end of the period had led to erosion and the formation of alluvial soils.

[9] In the Atiroʻo period (1000–1650 CE), artificial cultivation terraces were built on the slopes and simple stone buildings, such as the Marae Tapauruʻuru.

In addition to a further increase in population, this phase also saw a lively construction activity of representative religious structures - large marae in the style of a step pyramid.

[14] Charles Darwin found inspiration for his theory regarding the formation of coral atolls when looking down upon Moʻorea while standing on a peak on Tahiti.

The island, like neighboring Tahiti, formed as part of the "Society Chain" from a hot spot on the Pacific Plate and is between 1.5 and 2 million years old.

In the 1982–83 season, a series of cyclones in the Society Islands also caused considerable property damage in Moʻorea.

The island had a population of 14,226 inhabitants in the 2002 census which increased to 17,718 in 2017, distributed in the associated communes of Afareaitu, Haʻapiti, Paopao, Papetōʻai, and Teavaro.

It is a deep blue bay that often has white sailing yachts and in the background the 830 m high Mount Mouaputa, this being probably the most photographed South Seas image.

In the once densely populated Opunohu Valley, the indigenous Polynesians built numerous worship platforms (marae).

The narrow coastal strip is dominated by anthropic plants, due to dense settlement and centuries of human use.

However, significant remnants of the original plant communities have survived in the uninhabited and partially inaccessible interior of the island.

The University of California at Berkeley maintains a permanent research institute on Moʻorea, Gump Station, to study tropical biodiversity and interactions between cultural processes and the ecosystem.

The tree Glochidion nadeaudii is endemic to the island, growing in montane rain forests above 400 meters elevation.

In addition to more than 500 species of coral fish, divers and snorkelers can observe numerous molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans of the tropical sea.

[citation needed] This island is one of the main tourist destinations in French Polynesia, where there are several luxury resorts.

The race called the Moʻorea Marathon, held annually in February, is promoted by the tourism industry as the most beautiful in the world.

[31] Due to falling coffee prices, this is no longer profitable and the cultivation of agricultural export crops has shifted to pineapple and Tahitian vanilla.

Breadfruit, yams, taro, sweet potatoes, bananas, coconuts, and other tropical and subtropical fruits are grown for home consumption and hotel kitchens.

The University of California, Berkeley maintains the Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station on the west coast of Cook's Bay.

Since 1981, the French École pratique des hautes études (EPHE) and the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (National Centre for Scientific Research; CNRS) have been maintaining a research station at the end of ʻŌpūnohu Bay.

[33] This Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement (CRIOBE, Centre for island research and environment observatory) is a research site for several international projects, including the monitoring of coral reefs throughout French Polynesia as well as the monitoring of the fish population on the Tīahurā transect of Moʻorea's reef.

[38] Near Afareaitu is Moʻorea's oldest worship platform, the Marae Umarea, built around 900 CE, with its enclosure of large coral slabs directly over the lagoon.