Vanavana

Vanavana

NASA picture of Vanavana Atoll
Vanavana
Geography
Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates 20°47′S 139°10′W / 20.783°S 139.167°W / -20.783; -139.167Coordinates: 20°47′S 139°10′W / 20.783°S 139.167°W / -20.783; -139.167
Archipelago Tuamotus
Area 6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)  (lagoon)
5 km2 (2 sq mi) (above water)
Length 3.5 km (2.17 mi)
Width 2.2 km (1.37 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision Tuamotus
Commune Tureia
Demographics
Population Uninhabited[1] (2012)

Vanavana, Kurataki, or Huataki is an atoll in the southeastern area of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. Vanavana's nearest neighbour is Tureia, which is located 58 kilometres (36 miles) to the east.

Vanavana is a small oval-shaped atoll. It measures approximately 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) in length, has a maximum width of 2.2 kilometres (1.4 miles) and a land area of approximately 5 square kilometres (1.9 square miles). Its reef encloses completely the deep lagoon, which is 6 square kilometres (2.3 square miles). There is one hook-shaped large island in the north and another in the south of its reef.

Vanavana Atoll is uninhabited; however, buildings on the northern end of the island are present.

History

The first recorded European to arrive to Vanavana was British mariner Captain Frederick Beechey in 1826. He named this atoll "Barrow Island", after Sir John Barrow.

Administration

Administratively Vanavana Atoll belongs to the commune of Tureia, which includes the atolls of Tureia, Fangataufa, Moruroa, Tematangi and Vanavana.

References

  1. ↑ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 22 September 2014.



This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.