Rimatara is the westernmost inhabited island in the
Austral Islands
The Austral Islands (french: Îles Australes, officially ''Archipel des Australes;'' ty, Tuha'a Pae) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic in the South Pacific. Geographically, t ...
of
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 ...
. It is located south 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 west of
Rurutu
Rūrutu is the northernmost island in the Austral archipelago of French Polynesia, and the name of a commune consisting solely of that island. It is situated south of Tahiti. Its land area is .Environnement marin des îles Australes p. 205 Its highest point is . Its population was 872 at the 2017 census.Répartition de la population en Polynésie française en 2017 Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française
Rimatara is a circular volcanic plateau surrounded by a reef with a height of . The main villages are Amaru (the capital),
Anapoto
Anapoto is an associated commune on the island of Rimatara, 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 Pol ...
and
Mutuaura
Mutuaura is a commune on the island of Rimatara, in French Polynesia. According to the 2017 census, it had a population of 315 people. It is in the Tahiti Time
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island ...
.
Rimatara was one of the last Polynesian islands to receive European visitors. Captain Samuel Pinder Henry discovered the island in 1811. Two Tahitian missionaries from
Bora Bora
Bora Bora (French: ''Bora-Bora''; Tahitian: ''Pora Pora'') is an island group in the Leeward Islands. The Leeward Islands comprise the western part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, which is an overseas collectivity of the French R ...
arrived in 1822 and established a Protestant mission.
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
established a protectorate in 1889 and annexed Rimatara in 1901.
Notable people
*
Tamaeva IV
Tamaeva IV (died 1892) was the reigning queen of the Polynesian island of Rimatara who ruled from 1876 until her death in 1892. French sources refer to her as Temaeva, and one Australian newspaper called her Te Maere, while her tombstone in Rimat ...
, queen of Rimatara
*
Tamaeva V
Tamaeva V or Temaeva V, formally Heimataura Tamatoa Tamaeva V (c. 1830 – 1923), was the ''Arii vahine no Rimatara'' or queen of the island kingdom of Rimatara, an island within the larger Austral Islands archipelago, from 1892 t ...
, queen of Rimatara
Administration
The ''commune'' of Rimatara consists of the island of Rimatara, and the uninhabited
Maria Islets
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
(''Îlots Maria''). Rimatara consists of the following associated communes:
* Amaru
*
Anapoto
Anapoto is an associated commune on the island of Rimatara, 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 Pol ...
*
Mutuaura
Mutuaura is a commune on the island of Rimatara, in French Polynesia. According to the 2017 census, it had a population of 315 people. It is in the Tahiti Time
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island ...