Reao

Reao

NASA picture of Reao Atoll
Reao
Geography
Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates 18°28′11″S 136°26′33″W / 18.46972°S 136.44250°W / -18.46972; -136.44250
Archipelago Tuamotus
Area 34 km2 (13 sq mi)  (lagoon)
9 km2 (3 sq mi) (above water)
Length 24.5 km (15.22 mi)
Width 5 km (3.1 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision Tuamotus
Commune Reao
Demographics
Population 379[1] (2012)
Reao

Flag of Reao Pukaruha
Coordinates: 18°28′11″S 136°26′33″W / 18.4697°S 136.4426°W / -18.4697; -136.4426Coordinates: 18°28′11″S 136°26′33″W / 18.4697°S 136.4426°W / -18.4697; -136.4426
Country France
Overseas collectivity French Polynesia
Area 18 km2 (7 sq mi)
Population (2012)1 606
 • Density 34/km2 (87/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 98742 / 
1 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Reao or Natūpe is an atoll in the eastern expanses of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. The closest land is Pukarua Atoll, located 48 km to the WNW.

Reao is 24.5 km long and its maximum width is 5 km. The whole length of its north-eastern rim is occupied by a single long island. There is no navigable pass into the lagoon.

Reao Atoll's population is 379 inhabitants.

History

The first recorded European to sight Reao Atoll was French explorer Louis Isidore Duperrey in 1823. He named this atoll "Clermont Tonnerre".[2]

Reao was visited by the United States Exploring Expedition led by Charles Wilkes on August 13, 1839. Wilkes called this atoll "Minerva".

Reao Airport was inaugurated in 1979.

Flora and Fauna

The lagoon of the atoll is particularly important in that it hosts large colonies of Porites mordax and Acropora formosa corals, as well as over 400 Tridacna maxima clams.[3]

Administration

The commune of Reao consists of Reao, as well as the atoll of Pukarua.

References

  1. ↑ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Sample Chapter(s) for Historical%2
  3. ↑ Dahl, prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas ; in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme ; based on the work of Arthur Lyon (1986). Review of the protected areas system in Oceania (Sept. 1986. ed.). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. p. 208. ISBN 9782880325091.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reao.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.