Raroia, or Raro-nuku, 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 ...
of the
Tuamotus chain in
French Polynesia, located 740 km northeast of
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 Austra ...
and 6 km southwest of
Takume
Takume or Pukamaru is an atoll of the Tuamotus chain in French Polynesia, located 790 km northeast of Tahiti and 6 km northeast of Raroia and to the west of Fangatau.
This elongated atoll measures . Its lagoon has an area of
Taku ...
. Administratively it is a part of the
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
of
Makemo
Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua, is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia.
History
Makemo is the home of legendary Polynesian hero Moeava. The first recorded European to arrive to Makemo Atoll was English pearl merchant Jo ...
.
The oval-shaped atoll measures 43 km by 14 km and has a land area of 41 km
2. A navigable waterway leads to the central
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
, which has an area of 359 km
2. The population as of the 2012 census was 233. The town of Garumaoa is the main settlement. Raroians live principally on
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
,
copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...
cultivation, and
pearl farming
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium car ...
.
History
Raroia and Takume were called Napaite, "the Twins" (-''ite'', two), by the ancient
Paumotu
Tuamotuan, Paumotu or Paumotu (Tuamotuan: ' or ') is a Polynesian language spoken by 4,000 people in the Tuamotu archipelago, with an additional 2,000 speakers in Tahiti.
The Tuamotu people today refer to their land as Tuamotu, while referring ...
people.
The first recorded Europeans to reach Raroia were those of the Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese explorer
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós ( es, Pedro Fernández de Quirós) (1563–1614) was a Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain. He is best known for his involvement with Spanish voyages of discovery in the Pacific Ocean, in particular the 1595–1 ...
on 14 February 1606. The island was charted as ''La Fugitiva'' (the fugitive in Spanish). It was later sighted again in 1820 by
Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen (russian: Фадде́й Фадде́евич Беллинсга́узен, translit=Faddéy Faddéevich Bellinsgáuzen; – ) was a Russian naval officer, cartographer and explorer, who ultimatel ...
, who named it ''Barclay de Tolly'' after the Russian field marshal
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (german: Fürst Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly; baptised – ) was an Imperial Russian soldier of Baltic German and Scottish origin, who was commander-in-chief and Minister of War of the Russian Empir ...
.
![RaroiaDronePhoto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/RaroiaDronePhoto.jpg)
In 1947,
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany and geography.
Heyerdahl is notable for his ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000& ...
's ''
Kon-Tiki
The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, fo ...
'' raft arrived in Raroia after its 101-day journey from South America. Later, one of the crew members,
Bengt Danielsson
Bengt Emmerik Danielsson (6 July 1921 – 4 July 1997) was a Swedish anthropologist, writer, and a crew member on the ''Kon-Tiki'' raft expedition from South America to French Polynesia in 1947. In 1991, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award f ...
, lived there and studied the economy and the society. He wrote some books about Raroia, notably his thesis ''Work and Life on Raroia'' (Uppsala, 1955). In his 1952 book ''Raroia: Happy Island of the South Seas'', he observes, "The Raroian peace stems from the fact that the people have no material anxieties and no other object in life than just to live" (Danielsson, 294).
In April 2006
Raroia Airport began serving the air transportation needs of the atoll, with irregular visits by
Air Tahiti
Air Tahiti is a French airline company which operates in French Polynesia, France. Its main hub is Faa'a International Airport. It is the largest private employer in French Polynesia.
Company history
Early Seaplane Operations
The company w ...
flights.
Official site
- photos of the airport
People
The languages spoken on Raroia are Pa'umotu and French. Pa'umotu is the local language, and French is taught in the elementary school in the island's village of Garumaoa. To attend secondary school the children go to the larger island Makemo
Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua, is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia.
History
Makemo is the home of legendary Polynesian hero Moeava. The first recorded European to arrive to Makemo Atoll was English pearl merchant Jo ...
. To attend university they can go to 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 Austra ...
, 748 km away. The Raroians are, like most Polynesians, known for their hospitality, and although there are no available accommodations to rent on the island, locals will often share their lodgings with travelers. The Raroian diet consists mainly of local seafood, imported bread, rice and canned goods. The island's main industries are pearl farming and copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...
cultivation.
References
''Parts of this article are based upon a translation of the equivalent article in the Spanish Wikipedia
The Spanish Wikipedia ( es, Wikipedia en español) is a Spanish-language edition of Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia. It has articles. Started in May 2001, it reached 100,000 articles on March 8, 2006 and 1,000,000 articles on May 16, 2013 ...
.''
External links
Atoll list (in French)
Official site
- bi-lingual portal
Official site
- details about demographics, history, and economics
Atolls of the Tuamotus
{{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub