Kaukura or Kaheko is an

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

in the

Tuamotu 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, extendin ...

group in

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 Frenc ...

, long and wide. It is in the western area of the archipelago, southeast of

Rangiroa Rangiroa ( Tuamotuan for 'vast sky') or Te Kokōta (Cook Islands Māori for 'the Hyades star cluster') is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus and one of the largest in the world (smaller than Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Huvadhu in the M ...

. The closest land is Apataki Atoll, to the northeast. Kaukura Atoll is elongated, with a length of and a maximum width of . The northern reef rim is narrow, while the southern is broad. There are two groups of 65 islets. The surface of Kaukura's lagoon is and the land area . It has only one navigable pass cutting through the reef. The most important island is Motu Panao, in the atoll's northwest. Kaukura has 475 inhabitants ; the main village is Raitahiti. Geographically Kaukura belongs to the

Palliser Islands The Palliser Islands or Pallisers are a subgroup of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. They are located in the very northwest of the main group of atolls. Atolls The group includes: *Apataki *Arutua *Fakarava *Kaukura *Mataiva *Rangiroa *Maka ...

(Îles Palliser) subgroup of the Tuamotus.

History

The first recorded European to arrive to Kaukura was Dutch Navigator

Jakob Roggeveen Jacob Roggeveen (1 February 1659 – 31 January 1729) was a Dutch explorer who was sent to find Terra Australis and Davis Land, but instead found Easter Island (called so because he landed there on Easter Sunday). Jacob Roggeveen also found Bora ...

on his expedition for the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

to seek

Terra Australis (Latin: '"Southern Land'") was a hypothetical continent first posited in antiquity and which appeared on maps between the 15th and 18th centuries. Its existence was not based on any survey or direct observation, but rather on the idea that ...

in 1722. Formerly, fishing was the main occupation of Kaukura's islanders. But presently, tourism has replaced the traditional activities as a source of income. There is a small

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

at Kaukura which was opened in 1994.Kaukura Airport
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Administration

Kaukura belongs to the commune of Arutua. The commune of Arutua consists of

Arutua Arutua, or Ngaru-atua is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is located 40 km SW of Rangiroa. The closest land is Apataki Atoll, only 16 km to the East. Arutua Atoll has a roughly pentagonal shape. Length , width ...

, as well as the atolls of

Apataki Apataki is a coral atoll in the South Pacific Ocean, territorially part of French Polynesia. It is one of the Palliser Islands, a subgroup of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Apataki is located approximately northeast of the island of Tahiti, east of ...

and Kaukura.

References

External links

Atoll list (in French)
{{Tuamotus Atolls of the Tuamotus

History

Administration

See also

References

External links