Fakarava

Fakarava, Havaiki-te-araro, Havai'i or Farea[2] is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is the second largest of the Tuamotu atolls. The nearest land is Toau Atoll, which lies 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) to the northwest.

Fakarava
NASA picture of Fakarava Atoll
Fakarava
Location in French Polynesia
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates16°18′S 145°38′W
ArchipelagoTuamotus
Area1,112 km2 (429 sq mi)  (lagoon)
24.1 km2 (9 sq mi) (above water)
Length60 km (37 mi)
Width21 km (13 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
Administrative subdivisionTuamotus
CommuneFakarava
Largest settlementRotoava
Demographics
Population837[1] (2016)
Pop. density35/km2 (91/sq mi)

The atoll is roughly rectangular and its length is 60 kilometres (37 miles) and its width 21 kilometres (13 miles). Fakarava has a wide and deep lagoon with a surface of 1,112 square kilometres (429 square miles) and two passes. The main pass to enter the lagoon, located in its north-western end, is known as Passe Garuae and it is the largest pass in French Polynesia; the southern pass is called Tumakohua. It has a land area of 24.1 square kilometres (9 square miles). Fakarava has 837 inhabitants; the main village is called Rotoava.

History

The Pōmare Dynasty originated here before ruling the island of Tahiti. The first recorded European to arrive at Fakarava Atoll was Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on July 17, 1820, on ships Vostok and Mirni. He named the atoll "Wittgenstein".

Fakarava's inhabitants were evangelized by French Picpus priest Honoré Laval in 1849. The church at Rotoava was dedicated in 1850. Fakarava is being classified by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.

References
  1. "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. Young, J.L. (1899). "Names of the Paumotu Islands, with the old names so far as they are known". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 8 (4): 264–268. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

In literature

James Norman Hall describes his visit to Fakarava, and the prior visit of Captain Bligh to the atoll, in "The Tale of a Shipwreck," published 1934.

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