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Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means ''terraced'') is the most southerly of the
Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , langu ...
and the second largest, after
Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...
. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of , from Rarotonga. Originally heavily populated, Mangaia's population has dropped by 75% in the last 50 years.


Geography

Originally known as ''A'ua'u'' or ''A'ua'u Enua'' ("terraced"), the island was named Mangaia (or ''Mangaianui-Neneva'', "Mangaia monstrously-great") by Tamaeu, who came to the island from
Aitutaki Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the ...
in 1775. Geologists estimate the island is at least 18 million years old. It rises 4750 m (15,600 ft) above the ocean floor and has a land area of 51.8 km2. Surrounded by a fringing
coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secre ...
reef, like many of the southern Cook Islands, it is surrounded by a high ring of cliffs of fossil coral 60 m (200 ft) high, known as the
makatea Makatea, or Mangaia-te-vai-tamae, is a raised coral atoll in the northwestern part of the Tuamotus, which is a part of the French overseas collectivity of French Polynesia. It is located southwest from Rangiroa to the west of the Palliser g ...
. The inner rim of the ''makatea'' forms a steep cliff, surrounding swamps and a central volcanic plateau. The interior of the island is drained by underground channels passing through the ''makatea'', leading to extensive networks of caves which have been used historically as refuges and for burials. The highest point is ''Rangi-motia'', 169 m above sea level, near the centre of the island. Lake Tiriara is a body of fresh water in the south.


History

Excavation of the Tangatatau Rockshelter shows that Mangaia was first settled around 1000 CE. According to oral tradition, the island was not discovered, but emerged from the underworld of
Avaiki Avaiki is one of the many names by which the peoples of Polynesia refer to their ancestral and spiritual homelands. Samoa, Hawaii, Cook Islands By no means certain, but certainly possible, is an origin in the large islands of Samoa, namely Sava ...
already populated. It was later further settled from
Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...
,
Aitutaki Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the ...
,
Atiu Atiu, also known as Enuamanu (meaning ''land of the birds''), is an island of the Cook Islands archipelago, lying in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of Rarotonga. The island's population has dropped ...
,
Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
and
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 Aust ...
. Adze heads and basalt tools show that trading contact was maintained with Rarotonga, Samoa, and
Raiatea Raiatea or Ra'iatea ( Tahitian: ''Ra‘iātea'') is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the "centre" of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the ...
in the
Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...
. While
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato ('' Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young ...
was likely grown as a crop earlier in the Pacific, the archaeological site at the Tangatatau Rockshelter is currently the earliest recorded location showing sweet potato cultivation in Polynesia. Initially settlement was focused on the coastal villages, but by the 16th century it had shifted inland and inter-island trade had virtually disappeared. Oral histories of this era are of chiefs competing for land and status. The island was first discovered by Europeans on 29 March 1777 with the arrival of
Captain James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and t ...
. It was visited by two more ships, one of which was possibly ''
HMS Bounty HMS ''Bounty'', also known as HM Armed Vessel ''Bounty'', was a small merchant vessel that the Royal Navy purchased in 1787 for a botanical mission. The ship was sent to the South Pacific Ocean under the command of William Bligh to acquire ...
'', before the arrival of
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
of the
London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...
in 1823. Williams was unable to land, but in 1824 he returned and left behind two preachers from
Taha'a Taha’a (sometimes spelled as "Tahaa") is an island located among the western group, the Leeward Islands, of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The islands of Taha’a and neighboring ...
, who began to convert the islands to Christianity. Before the arrival of the missionaries, Mangaian society was characterised by a violent struggle between war-leaders competing for the title of ''mangaia'' (supreme temporal power), with ''
Ariki An ariki (New Zealand, Cook Islands), ꞌariki (Easter Island), aliki (Tokelau, Tuvalu), ali‘i (Samoa, Hawai‘i), ari'i ( Society Islands, Tahiti), aiki or hakaiki ( Marquesas Islands), akariki ( Gambier Islands) or ‘eiki (Tonga) is or was a ...
'' serving as priests rather than hereditary chiefs. The last ''mangaia'', Pangemiro, died shortly after the missionaries' arrival, and the abolition of war under Christianity effectively froze the power structure and the division of land and titles in the state they had been in 1823. The Numangatini Ariki became dominant, with the title alternating between two branches of the family. In 1888 Mangaia became a British protectorate as part of the Cook Islands Federation. In 1901 it was annexed by
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
. Post-annexation the island exported citrus, bananas and coffee to New Zealand, but exports ceased during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
. In 1946
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centurie ...
growing was introduced and in the 1960s and 1970s Mangaia had a thriving export industry. The collapse of this industry in the 1980s and a subsequent economic crisis in 1996 has led to the island's gradual depopulation. Mangaia was severely damaged by Cyclone Trina in December 2001. The slow-moving cyclone delivered eight days of heavy rain, resulting in the worst flooding in 50 years. Parts of the island were inundated with up to of water, and 95% of the
taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afric ...
crop and 60% of the livestock were destroyed. The resulting food shortage saw the IFRC distribute food to all of the island's residents. Due to the severity of damage caused by Trina, its name was later
retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
.


Demographics and settlement

Mangaia is divided into six districts (''Puna''): Tamarua, Veitatei, Kei'a, Tava'enga, Karanga, and Ivirua. The districts are very nearly sectors meeting at the highest point near the center of the island, ''Rangi-motia''. The districts are, as on some other islands of the Southern Cook Islands, further subdivided into 38 traditional sub-districts called Tapere. In the Cook Islands constitution however, the six districts are listed as Tapere. The capital is the village of Oneroa, on the west coast, containing about half the population. Oneroa is in fact a contiguous village area that consists of three villages: Tavaʻenga, Kaumata and Temakatea. All of Oneroa is located within Keiʻa District, including its northernmost village Tavaʻenga, which is not in Tavaʻenga district as one might assume by the name. There are three more villages, Tamarua in the south and Ivirua and Karanga in the northeast. Mangaia's population was estimated at two to three thousand by John Williams in 1823. Despite an epidemic following European contact, and again in 1844, by 1846 its population had risen to 3567. Emigration and disease had reduced the population to 2237 in 1867, and 1700 in 1892. In the twentieth century its population grew, peaking at 2002 in 1966. The decline of the pineapple industry and subsequent economic collapse has led to further emigration and caused the population to drop by 75% from its peak, to 499 in 2016.


Culture

Unlike other islands of the Southern Cook Islands, Mangaia has retained its traditional collective land tenure system. Land use is decided by each district's ''kavana'', independently of the Land Court. It has also retained its own dialect of
Cook Islands Māori Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to New Zealand Māori, but is a distinct language in its own right. Cook Islands Māori is simply c ...
, ''reo Mangaia''. One anthropologist, Donald Marshall, described Mangain residents as "the most sexually active culture on record" prior to European contact, with men " pendingtheir late teens and 20s having an average of 21 orgasms a week (more than 1,000 times a year)."


Economy

Mangaia's economy is heavily government-supported, with 50% of the workforce employed by the public-sector. Historically, its economy was based around agricultural production, which benefited from privileged access to the
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
market. The removal of this access combined with shipping interruptions destroyed the industry. Subsequent depopulation has left the island lacking in basic services, with no doctor or dentist. Current exports include ''eis'' necklaces made from the shells of the ''pupu'' snail. Mangaia is connected to the rest of the Cook Islands by
Mangaia Airport Mangaia Airport is an airport on Mangaia in the Cook Islands. In 2007, the airport received $5 million for development. Airlines and destinations The Air Rarotonga Air Rarotonga is an airline based in Rarotonga, Cook Islands and is � ...
. Previously powered by diesel generators, since 2018 it has been powered by a solar-battery power station.


Ecology


Flora

The flora of Mangaia can be divided into five ecological zones. The ''pa tai'', or coast, is dominated by
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or ...
s, ''
Pandanus tectorius ''Pandanus tectorius'' is a species of ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, Papuasia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It grows in the coastal lowlands typically near the edge of the ocean. Common names in English incl ...
'', '' Barringtonia asiatica'', and other scrub plants. The ''Rautuitui'', or upland ''makatea'', is native forest, dominated by indigenous species such as ''
Elaeocarpus tonganus ''Elaeocarpus'' is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and the Pacific. Plants in the genus ''Elaeocarpus'' are trees or shrubs ...
'', ''
Hernandia moerenhoutiana ''Hernandia moerenhoutiana'' (also known as Mountain Lantern-tree, Jack-in-the-box, ''Tūrina'', ''Puka Tūrina'' ( Cook Islands Māori), ''Pipi'' ( Samoan) or ''Pipi Tui'' ( Tongan)) is a species of flowering plant in the family Hernandiaceae ...
'', and ''
Guettarda speciosa ''Guettarda speciosa'', with common names sea randa, or zebra wood, is a species of shrub in the family Rubiaceae found in coastal habitats in tropical areas around the Pacific Ocean, including the coastline of central and northern Queensland a ...
'', with coconuts, candlenuts, and ''
Morinda citrifolia ''Morinda citrifolia'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends across Southeast Asia and Australasia, and was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout th ...
'' in areas near villages and tracks. The harsher parts of the ''makatea'' are covered in scrub, including pandanus and the endemic '' Geniostoma sykesii''. The ''Puna'' (swampy lowlands) contain the island's most fertile soils, and are dominated by introduced and cultivate species such as
taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afric ...
, coconut, and ''
Hibiscus tiliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Ze ...
''. The ''Rautuanue'' (slopes) and ''maunga'' (mountain) are heavily modified, and covered in pineapple, coconut, scrub, ferns, and grass.


Fauna

The arrival of humans caused the extinction of local wildlife. Surviving land-based species include the
insular flying fox The insular flying fox or Pacific flying fox (''Pteropus tonganus'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is geographically widespread, the most widespread flying fox in the Pacific: it is found in American Samoa, the Cook I ...
,
Pacific reef heron The Pacific reef heron (''Egretta sacra''), also known as the eastern reef heron or eastern reef egret, is a species of heron found throughout southern Asia and Oceania. It occurs in two colour morphs with either slaty grey or pure white plumag ...
,
Pacific black duck The Pacific black duck (''Anas superciliosa''), commonly known as the PBD, is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the n ...
,
spotless crake The spotless crake (''Zapornia tabuensis'') is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is widely distributed species occurring from the Philippines, New Guinea and Australia, across the southern Pacific Ocean to the Marquesas Islands a ...
,
mewing kingfisher The mewing kingfisher or Mangaia kingfisher (''Todiramphus ruficollaris''), known locally as the tanga‘eo, is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae, or kingfisher family. It is endemic to Mangaia in the Cook Islands. Its natural habitats are ...
,
Cook reed warbler The Cook reed warbler (''Acrocephalus kerearako'') or Cook Islands reed warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It is native to the southeastern Cook Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry f ...
, as well as 12 species of seabirds.Kirch (2017), p. 14 Introduced species include the
red junglefowl The red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus'') is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It was formerly known as the Bankiva or Bankiva Fowl. It is the species that gave rise to the ...
,
Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, ...
, Oceania gecko and
mourning gecko ''Lepidodactylus lugubris'', known as the mourning gecko or common smooth-scaled gecko, is a species of lizard, a gecko of the family Gekkonidae. Description ''Lepidodactylus lugubris'' measure 8.5-10 cm in length including tail (4-4.4 cm snou ...
. Birds described from
subfossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
remains that became extinct as a consequence of human settlement of the island and the introduction of exotic mammals include the
Mangaia rail The Mangaia rail (''Gallirallus ripleyi'') is an extinction, extinct species of flightless bird in the rail family (biology), family, Rallidae. History The rail was described in 1986 from subfossil bones of late Holocene age found in caves o ...
(''Gallirallus ripleyi'') and the
Mangaia crake The Mangaia crake (''Porzana rua'') is an extinct species of flightless bird in the rail family, Rallidae. History The crake was described in 1986 from subfossil bones of late Holocene age found in caves on the island of Mangaia, in the souther ...
(''Porzana rua''). The island has been designated an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
.


See also

* Auraka * Tuanaki * Mangaia swiftlet


References

{{Authority control Islands of the Cook Islands Important Bird Areas of the Cook Islands