The Bass Islands (French: Îles (de) Bass or Îlots (de) Bass) consist primarily of Rapa (27°35′00″S 144°20′00″W / 27.5833333°S 144.3333333°W / -27.5833333; -144.3333333) and Marotiri (27°55′00″S 143°26′00″W / 27.9166667°S 143.4333333°W / -27.9166667; -143.4333333). They are usually considered to be the southernmost of the Austral Islands, although this classification is one of geographic and political expediency more so than because of similarities between them and the rest of the Austral Islands. The Bass Islands, lying several degrees outside the tropics, are the southernmost islands in French Polynesia.
Geologically, the Bass Islands are distinguished from the Austral Islands in that their vulcanism appears to be much more recent.
Culturally, the Bass Islands appear to have been colonized about the same time as Tahiti and the Marquesas, and the culture and language (Rapan) appear to have diverged about the same time as well, indicating that they developed in relative isolation almost from the time of first settlement.
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