Tuamotus


The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending over an area roughly the size of Western Europe. Their combined land area is. This archipelago's major islands are Rangiroa, Anaa, Fakarava, Hao and Makemo.
The Tuamotus have approximately 16,000 inhabitants. The islands were initially settled by Polynesians, and modern Tuamotuans have inherited from them a shared culture and the Tuamotuan language.
The Tuamotus are a French overseas collectivity.

History

The early history of the Tuamotu islands is generally unknown. Archaeological findings suggest that the western Tuamotus were settled from the Society Islands as early as 900 CE or as late as 1200 CE. DNA evidence suggests that they were settled about 1110 CE. On the islands of Rangiroa, Manihi and Mataiva, there are flat ceremonial platforms made of coral blocks, although their exact age is unknown.
The first known European encounter with the Tuamotus was with the Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan, during his circumglobal voyage in 1521. His encounter was followed by visits from several other Europeans, including:
None of these visits were of political consequence, as the islands were within the sphere of influence of the Pōmare Dynasty of Tahiti.
The first Christian missionaries arrived in the islands at the beginning of the 19th century. By the late 19th century, traders had begun offering pearls from the islands for sale in Europe, and they became coveted possessions there. France forced the abdication of King Pōmare V of Tahiti and claimed the islands, but did not formally annex them.
Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Stevenson travelled among the Tuamotus on the yacht Casco in 1888; an account of their journey was published as In the South Seas. Jack London wrote a story, "The Seed of McCoy", based on an incident in 1900 in which a burning ship, the Pyrenees, had been safely beached on Mangareva. In the story, London has the ship sail past Mangareva and all through the Tuamotus before beaching on Fakarava.
The Tuamotus made headlines around the world in 1947, when the Norwegian ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl, sailing from South America with a crew of five others, reached Raroia on his raft Kon-Tiki. The islands were in the news again somewhat later, when France conducted nuclear weapons testing on the atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa.

Administrative divisions

is a semi-autonomous island group designated as an overseas country of France. The Tuamotus combine with the Gambier Islands to form the Îles Tuamotu-Gambier which is one of the five administrative divisions of French Polynesia.
The Tuamotus are grouped into sixteen communes: Anaa; Arutua; Fakarava; Fangatau; Hao; Hikueru; Makemo; Manihi; Napuka; Nukutavake; Puka Puka; Rangiroa; Reao; Takaroa; Tatakoto; and Tureia.

Electoral divisions

The communes on Tuamotu are part of two different electoral districts represented in the Assembly of French Polynesia. The electoral district called Îles Gambier et Tuamotu Est comprises the commune of Gambier and eleven communes in eastern Tuamotu: Anaa, Fangatau, Hao, Hikueru, Makemo, Napuka, Nukutavake, Pukapuka, Reao, Tatakoto, and Tureia. The other five communes in western Tuamotu – Arutua, Fakarava, Manihi, Rangiroa, and Takaroa – form the electoral district called Îles Tuamotu Ouest.

Geography

Despite the vast spread of the archipelago, it covers a total land area of only about. The climate is a warm tropical one, without sharply distinct seasons. The average annual temperature is a relatively continuous. Water sources such as lakes or rivers are absent, leaving catchments of rain as the only source of fresh water. The annual average rainfall is. Although average rainfall is lowest in September and November, it does not vary markedly throughout the year.
The archipelago is geologically highly stable, because it was created by the action of the Easter fracture zone, which is only weakly active. There have been no volcanic eruptions during recorded history.

Flora and fauna

The sparse soil of the coral islands does not support diverse vegetation. The coconut palm, which is the basis of copra production, is of special economic importance. On a few of the islands, vanilla is also cultivated. Agriculture is generally otherwise limited to simple subsistence. Fruit and vegetable staples include yams, taro, breadfruit, and a wide range of tropical fruit. Pandanus leaves are traditionally woven together to make mats, hats, and roof thatches. However, many of the roofs nowadays are made of corrugated sheet-metal. There are also mangrove forests in sheltered areas, though its less common around coral atolls.
The species-rich reefs are home to a diverse range of underwater fauna. The surface creatures are primarily seabirds, insects, and lizards. The Tuamotus have 86 species of birds, ten of which are endemic, including the Tuamotu kingfisher, the Tuamotu reed warbler, and the Tuamotu sandpiper. Thirteen species are globally threatened, and one has gone extinct.

Geology

All of the islands of the Tuamotus are coral "low islands": essentially high sand bars built upon coral reefs. Makatea, southwest of the Palliser Islands, is one of three great phosphate rocks in the Pacific Ocean. Although the Gambier Islands are geographically part of the Tuamotus because they lie at the southeastern extreme of the archipelago, they are geologically and culturally distinct.
The ring-shaped atoll Taiaro, which lies in the northwestern portion of the archipelago, is a rare example of a coral reef that has a fully enclosed lagoon. Taiaro has been officially designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1977.

Island groups

The Tuamotu archipelago consists of several groups of small islands and atolls:

IslandPopulationCommune
Mataiva280Rangiroa
Tikehau529Rangiroa
Rangiroa2,567Rangiroa
Makatea68Rangiroa
Arutua826Arutua
Apataki350Arutua
Kaukura475Arutua
Toau18Fakarava
Niau226Fakarava
Fakarava837Fakarava



IslandPopulationCommune
Aratika160Fakarava
Kauehi257Fakarava
Taiaro0Fakarava
Raraka110Fakarava
Anaa530Anaa
Faaite440Anaa
Tahanea0Anaa
Motutunga0Anaa
Katiu257Makemo
Tuanake6Makemo
Hiti0Makemo
Tepoto 0Makemo
Makemo816Makemo
Taenga65Makemo
Takume116Makemo
Raroia253Makemo
Nihiru11Makemo
Marutea Nord0Makemo
Haraiki0Makemo



IslandPopulationCommune
Tekokota0Hikueru
Reitoru0Hikueru
Hikueru125Hikueru
Marokau91Hikueru
Ravahere0Hikueru
Rekareka0Hao
Tauere3Hao
Amanu192Hao
Hao1,009Hao
Nengonengo54Hao
Manuhangi0Hao
Paraoa0Hao
Ahunui0Hao
Fangatau150Fangatau
Fakahina155Fangatau



IslandPopulationCommune
Tatakoto180Tatakoto
Akiaki13Nukutavake
Vahitahi105Nukutavake
Nukutavake119Nukutavake
Pinaki0Nukutavake
Vairaatea57Nukutavake
Pukarua227Reao
Reao305Reao
Vanavana0Tureia
Tureia275Tureia
Moruroa0Tureia
Fangataufa0Tureia
Tematagi58Tureia



IslandPopulationCommune
Ahe552Manihi
Manihi648Manihi
Takapoto380Takaroa
Takaroa537Takaroa
Tikei0Takaroa



IslandPopulationCommune
Hereheretue56Hao
Anuanuraro0Hao
Anuanurunga0Hao
Nukutepipi0Hao



IslandPopulationCommune
Tepoto 61Napuka
Napuka255Napuka
Puka-Puka137Puka-Puka

Related island groups include three groups. The Acteon Group, which is usually considered culturally and geographically linked to the Tuamotus, is politically part of the Gambier Commune. The three Outer Gambier islands, often considered part of the Tuamotus culturally, but variably geographically linked to either the Tuamotus or Gambiers, is also politically part of the Gambier Commune. Finally, the islets consisting of Mangareva Atoll, as well as Temoe, are considered unquestionably part of the Gambier Islands culturally, geographically, and politically.