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Fangataufa
Fangataufa (or Fangatafoa) is an uninhabited coral atoll in the eastern part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. The atoll has been fully-owned by the French state since 1964. From 1966 to 1996 it was used as a nuclear test site by the French government. In total, 4 atmospheric and 10 underground nuclear explosions were carried out on the atoll. Geography The atoll is a coral outgrowth of a seamount which rises some from the seafloor, to a depth of . The seamount was formed 33.4 - 34.7 million years ago by the Pitcairn hotspot. The island is approx. long and wide. It has a lagoon area of and a land area of . It is located south of Moruroa atoll, east of Tematangi, southwest of the Gambier Islands and southeast of Tahiti. Access to the lagoon is through a pass lying SW of the northernmost point of the atoll; the channel has a width of about and a dredged depth of . A quay, in of water, is situated in the NE part of the lagoon; another quay, long in of wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moruroa
Moruroa (Mururoa, Mururura), also historically known as Aopuni, is an atoll which forms part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is located about southeast of Tahiti. Administratively Moruroa Atoll is part of the commune of Tureia, which includes the atolls of Tureia, Fangataufa, Tematangi and Vanavana. France undertook nuclear weapon tests between 1966 and 1996 at Moruroa and Fangataufa, causing international protests, notably in 1974 and 1995. The number of tests performed on Moruroa has been variously reported as 175 and 181. History Ancient Polynesians knew Mururoa Atoll by the ancestral name of Hiti-Tautau-Mai. The first recorded European to visit this atoll was Commander Philip Carteret on HMS ''Swallow'' in 1767, just a few days after he had discovered Pitcairn Island. Carteret named Mururoa "Bishop of Osnaburgh Island". In 1792, the British whaler was wrecked here, and it became known as Matilda's Rocks. Frederick William Be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canopus (nuclear Test)
''Canopus'' (or ''Opération Canopus'') was the codename of the first French two-stage thermonuclear test. It was conducted by the Pacific Carrier Battle Group (nicknamed ''Alfa Force'') on 24 August 1968, at the Pacific Experiments Centre near Fangataufa atoll, French Polynesia. The test made France the fifth country to test a thermonuclear device after the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and China. History In 1966, France was able to use fusion fuel to boost plutonium implosion devices with the Rigel shot. Robert Dautray, (real name : Ignatz Koushelewitz) a nuclear physicist, was selected by the CEA to lead the development effort to construct a two-stage weapon. France did not have the ability to produce the materials needed for a two-stage thermonuclear device at the time, so 151 tons of heavy water was purchased from Norway and an additional 168 tons from the United States. This heavy water went into nuclear reactors in 1967 to produce tritium need ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitcairn Hotspot
The Pitcairn hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Over the past 11 million years, it has formed the Pitcairn-Gambier hotspot chain. It is responsible for creating the Pitcairn Islands and two large seamounts named Adams and Bounty, as well as atolls at Moruroa, Fangataufa and the Gambier Islands. The hotspot is currently located at Adams and Bounty, which are ~60 kilometers East-Southeast of Pitcairn Island. Current Hotspot Location The current hotspot location is west of the spreading center known as the East Pacific Rise; an area near where the Nazca plate and the Pacific plate are diverging around 20°S, 115°W. This is where material is thought to be sourced from the core-mantle boundary, rising to surface as a localized plume. Opponents of the hotspot theory instead attribute Pitcairn hotspot to upwelling at the western end of the Easter Fracture Zone. Morphology Multibeam bathymetry shows that the two largest seamounts, Adams and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tuamotu Archipelago
The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) 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 (from northwest to southeast) over an area roughly the size of Western Europe. Their combined land area is . This archipelago's major islands are 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, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tuamotus
The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) 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 (from northwest to southeast) over an area roughly the size of Western Europe. Their combined land area is . This archipelago's major islands are 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 Polynesian culture, culture and the Tuamotuan language. The Tuamotus are a overseas collectivity, 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tureia
Tureia (also called Papahena) is an atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. Tureia atoll is 15 km long and has a maximum width of ; its total land area is 8 km2. A very long island covers completely its eastern reef. The lagoon has no navigable entrance. The village of Hakamaru (or Fakamaru) is the only settlement on Tureia, at the northern tip of the atoll. Almost all of the arable land on Tureia is dedicated to growing coconuts. The population in this atoll has risen to 275 in 2017; in 1977 there were only 121 inhabitants. History The first recorded European to arrive at Tureia was Captain Edward Edwards in 1791, during his search for the Bounty mutineers. Edwards called the atoll "Carysfort", after John Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort. From 1966 to 1999, Tureia hosted an outpost of the ''Centre d'Expérimentation du Pacifique'', the French authority supervising nuclear tests on the nearby atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa, which lie about 115 km south ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Nuclear Weapons Tests Of France
France executed nuclear weapons tests in the areas of Reggane and In Ekker in Algeria and the Mururoa and Fangataufa Atolls in French Polynesia, from 13 February 1960 through 27 January 1996. These totaled 210 tests with 210 device explosions, 50 in the atmosphere. Discrepancies between those totals and the table below consist in two undocumented tests mentioned in other sources and five safety tests in an area near In Ekker named Adar Tickertane. List See also * List of nuclear weapons tests * Force de dissuasion The ''Force de frappe'' ( French: "strike force"), or ''Force de dissuasion'' ("deterrent force") after 1961,Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104 is the designation of what used to be a triad of ... References Sources * * * {{Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents * Nuclear technology-related lists ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Australia. Divided into two parts, ''Tahiti Nui'' (bigger, northwestern part) and ''Tahiti Iti'' (smaller, southeastern part), the island was formed from volcanic activity; it is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs. Its population was 189,517 in 2017, making it by far the most populous island in French Polynesia and accounting for 68.7% of its total population. Tahiti is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity and an overseas country of the French Republic. The capital of French Polynesia, Papeete, is located on the northwest coast of Tahiti. The only international airport in the region, Faaā International Airport, is on Tahiti near Papeete. Tahiti was originally settled by Pol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tematangi
Tematagi or TematangiBoard of Geographical Names Site Internet: http://geonames.usgs.gov/foreign/index.html is an atoll in the southeastern area of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. Tematagi's nearest neighbour is Mururoa, which is located to the ESE. Tematagi is a medium-sized atoll. It measures approximately in length and has a maximum width of with a land area of almost . As its reef completely encloses the deep lagoon, which is , there is no navigable pass to enter the lagoon. There are many relatively large islands on Tematagi's reef, as well as a few small motu. The main village is Tuihana. There were 58 inhabitants on Tematagi in the last census. History The first recorded European to visit this atoll was Captain William Bligh on the ship ''Providence'' on April 5, 1792. At the time of Bligh's visit, it was uninhabited. Tematagi Atoll appears in some maps as "Bligh's Lagoon Island". When Frederick Beechey visited Tematagi in 1826 he found inhabitants there. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Tuheiava
Richard Ari'ihau Tuheiava (born 28 February 1974) is a French Polynesian lawyer and politician. He represented French Polynesia in the Senate of France from 2008 to 2014, sitting with the Socialist Party. He is now a Member of the Assembly of French Polynesia and a member of Tavini Huiraatira. Early life Tuheiava was born in Papeete and grew up in Raiatea and Moorea. He was educated at Lycée Paul-Gauguin before studying economics at the University of French Polynesia, graduating in 1993. He moved to Aix-en-Provence in France to study law, and in 1997 gained his legal degree. He returned to Tahiti in 1998, where he worked as a lawyer. He is a member of the Human Rights League, and served as president of the Junior Economic Chamber. Political career In March 2008 he was elected a municipal councilor for Arue on the Union For Democracy (UPLD) list. In July 2008 he joined Tavini Huiraatira. In August 2008 he was chosen as the UPLD's candidate in the 2008 French Senate election, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Polynesia
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of French Polynesia , map_caption = Location of French Polynesia (circled in red) , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , established_title = Protectorate proclaimed , established_date = 9 September 1842 , established_title2 = Territorial status , established_date2 = 27 October 1946 , established_title3 = Collectivity status , established_date3 = 28 March 2003 , established_title4 = Country status (nominal title) , established_date4 = 27 February 2004 , official_languages = French , regional_languages = , capital = Papeete , coordinates = , largest_city = Fa'a'ā , demonym = French Polynesian , ethnic_groups = 66.5% unmixed Polynesians7.1% mixed Polynesians9.3% Demis1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanavana
Vanavana, Kurataki, or Huataki is an atoll in the southeastern area of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. Vanavana's nearest neighbour is Tureia, which is located to the east. Vanavana is a small oval-shaped atoll. It measures approximately in length, has a maximum width of and a land area of approximately . Its reef encloses completely the deep lagoon, which is . There is one hook-shaped large island in the north and another in the south of its reef. Vanavana Atoll is uninhabited; however, buildings on the northern end of the island are present. History The first recorded European to arrive at Vanavana was British mariner Captain Frederick Beechey in 1826. He named this atoll "Barrow Island", after Sir John Barrow. Administration Administratively Vanavana Atoll belongs to the commune of Tureia, which includes the atolls of Tureia, Fangataufa, Moruroa, Tematangi Tematagi or TematangiBoard of Geographical Names Site Internet: http://geonames.usgs.gov/foreign/index ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
