Localización de Nukutavake en las Tuamotu

Vahitahi, or ''Vaitake'', 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 eastern area of the

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, extendin ...

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 ...

. Vahitahi's nearest neighbour is

Akiaki Akiaki is a low coral atoll in the eastern area of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. Akiaki's nearest neighbor is Vahitahi, which is located 41 km to the southeast. Akiaki is a small atoll rising barely above sea level. The total ...

, which is located to the northwest. Vahitahi is a small atoll with an elongated oval shape. It measures approximately in length and has a maximum width of . Its reef encloses completely the lagoon. The total land area of the islands on its reef is . The main village is called Mohitu (formerly Temanufaara). There were 105 inhabitants according to the 2012 census.

History

Vahitahi Atoll was the first land that

Louis Antoine de Bougainville Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville (, , ; 12 November 1729 – August 1811) was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of the British explorer James Cook, he took part in the Seven Years' War in North America and the American Revolution ...

found in the Pacific in 1768. He called the atoll ''Les Quatre Facardins'', after a novel of the time.

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old 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 an ...

reached Vahitahi the following year and named it ''Lagoon Island''. Vahitahi has a territorial airport. It was inaugurated in 1986.

Administration

Administratively Vahitahi Atoll belongs to 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 Nukutavake.

References

Vahitahi AirportAtoll names

External links

Atolls of the Tuamotus {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub