The King George Islands (Îles du Roi Georges) is a subgroup of the Tuamotus Archipelago

Tuamotus

The Tuamotus or the Tuamotu Archipelago are a chain of islands and atolls in French Polynesia. They form the largest chain of atolls in the world, spanning an area of the Pacific Ocean roughly the size of Western Europe...

 group in French Polynesia

French Polynesia

French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...

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The King George Islands include four atolls and one island:

• Ahe
  Ahe
  Ahe, Ahemaru or Omaru, is an almost entirely-enclosed coral atoll, located in the northern Tuamotu Archipelago, just 14 km to the west of Manihi, in French Polynesia.Ahe Atoll's ring shape is broken by only a single small passage into the lagoon....
  
  
• Manihi
  Manihi
  Manihi, or Paeua, is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. It is one of the northernmost of the Tuamotus, located in the King George subgroup. The closest land to Manihi is Ahe Atoll, located 14 km to the west...
  
  
• Takapoto
  Takapoto
  Takapoto, Tua-poto or Oura, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia.Length 17 km, width 6.4 km. Latitude 14° 42'; Longitude S 145° 15' W.The nearest land is Takaroa Atoll, located 10 km to the Northeast....
  
  
• Takaroa
  Takaroa
  Takaroa, Taka-roa or Takapua, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. Length 27.4 km, width 7 km. Latitude 14° 27'; Longitude S 144° 59' W.The nearest land is Takapoto Atoll, located 10 km to the Southwest....
  
  
• Tikei
  Tikei
  Tikei, also known as Manu, Tikai and Tiku is an island in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. Tikei is not a typical Tuamotu atoll, but a separate island. Maximum length: 2.8 Km, maximum width 1.2 Km...
  
   Island

Tikei is the easternmost island and Ahe Atoll is the westernmost of the subgroup. The distance between them is 200 km (124 mi). Unlike the atolls of the Palliser

Palliser Islands

The Palliser Islands or Pallisers are a subgroup of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. They are located in the northwest of the main group of atolls.-Atolls:The group includes:*Apataki*Arutua*Fakarava*Kaukura*Mataiva*Rangiroa*Makatea...

 group that have an elongated shape from the Northwest to the Southeast, the King George Islands follow a mirror image

Mirror image

A mirror image is a reflected duplication of an object that appears identical but reversed. As an optical effect it results from reflection off of substances such as a mirror or water. It is also a concept in geometry and can be used as a conceptualization process for 3-D structures...

 pattern of elongation from Southwest to the Northeast,

History

The name "King George Islands" was given to this group by British explorer John Byron

John Byron

Vice Admiral The Hon. John Byron, RN was a Royal Navy officer. He was known as Foul-weather Jack because of his frequent bad luck with weather.-Early career:...

, who reached Manihi, Takaroa and Takapoto in June 1765. In the 1880s, the Tuamotus were claimed by France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and in 1946 the indigenous Polynesians were granted the French citizenship

Citizenship

Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...

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Administration

Administratively there are two communes in the King George Islands:

• The commune of Manihi consists of the atolls of Manihi and Ahe.
• The commune of Takaroa consists of the atolls of Takaroa and Takapoto, as well as Tikei Island.