Vairaatea is a small atoll of 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 ...
. Geographically Vairaatea Atoll is part of the East-central subgroup of the Tuamotus, which includes
Ahunui
Ahunui or Nga-taumanga is a small atoll of the eastern Tuamotus, Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 55 km SSE of Paraoa Atoll and 120 km WSW of Vairaatea.
Ahunui Atoll is roughly circular in shape and measures 6.5&n ...
,
Amanu
Amanu, Timanu, or Karere, is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago. Amanu lies at right angles to neighbouring Hao Atoll; this orientation is quite rare for the Tuamotu atolls.
It is situated 900 km east of Tahiti and 15 km north of Hao ...
,
Fangatau
Fangatau, or Nakai-erua, is a small atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. The nearest land is Fakahina Atoll, located 72 km to the ESE. This small atoll has an elongated shape. Its length is , maximum width . It has a total area ...
,
Hao and
Nukutavake. Nukutavake, the closest land, lies to the east.
[
Vairaatea Atoll measures in length and its width is about . Its reef has a roughly triangular shape. There are two long islands on it. The reef completely encloses a lagoon.][ a drop from 70 in 1996.
]
History
The first recorded European to arrive at Vairaatea was the Spanish explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
on the 9 February 1606. He named this atoll ''San Miguel Arcángel''. However his captains Prado y Tovar and Vaéz de Torres refer to it as ''Santa Polonia'' as it was sighted on the day of this Christian martyr.[Maude, H.E. ''Spanish discoveries in the Central Pacific. A study in identification'' Journal of the Polynesian Society, Wellington, LXVIII, 1959, p.284-326.]
Englishman Samuel Wallis
Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – 21 January 1795 in London) was a British naval officer and explorer of the Pacific Ocean. He made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti.
Biography
Wallis was born at Fenteroon Farm, n ...
visited Vairaatea in 1767. He named it "Lord Egmont". In some maps, it also appears as "Industriel".
Administration
Administratively Vairaatea is 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 Nukutavake.[
]
References
Pictures and map
Samuel Wallis (in German)
Atolls of the Tuamotus
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