French Polynesia is an overseas country of France made up of several Polynesian island groups, the most famous being Tahiti. The islands were not officially united until France established a protectorate in 1889. Indigenous Polynesians first settled the Marquesas Islands in 300 AD and Society Islands in 800 AD, living in chieftainships. European contact began when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sighted an island in 1521, with the Dutch and British exploring various islands in the 1700s and establishing France's presence in the region.