Nukutepipi
Encyclopedia
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
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...
, Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It is part of the Duke of Gloucester Islands
Duke of Gloucester Islands
The Duke of Gloucester Islands is a subgroup of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. They are located southeast of Tahiti and south of the main Tuamotu atoll cluster and are rather isolated...
, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Nukutepipi's nearest neighbor is Anuanurunga
Anuanurunga
Anuanurunga is an atoll in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Anuanurunga's nearest neighbor is Nukutepipi, which is located about 22 km to the ESE....
, which is located about 22 km to the WNW.
Nukutepipi is a very small atoll. It is roughly triangular-shaped, measuring approximately 2.7 km in length. Its reef is quite broad, enclosing completely the small lagoon, which has a deep area at its centre. There are two relatively large islands on its reef, one on its eastern side and the other on the northwest.
Nukutepipi Atoll has 2 inhabitants. It has a small airfield which was inaugurated in 1982.
History
The first recorded European to sight Nukutepipi Atoll was British naval officer and explorer Philip CarteretPhilip Carteret
Philip Carteret, Seigneur of Trinity was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in two of the Royal Navy's circumnavigation expeditions in 1764-66 and 1766-69.-Biography:...
in 12 July 1767 who only referred to it in his logs as "the southernmost island".
John Turnbull
John Turnbull
John Turnbull is an English pop and rock guitarist and singer.He has played in bands such as Skip Bifferty, The Chosen Few, Arc, Loving Awareness, Glencoe, Nick Lowe, Dave Stewart and the Spiritual Cowboys, Eurythmics, Talk Talk, Londonbeat, Paul Young, Bob Geldof, World Party, Kaos Band and Ian...
aboard the Margaret
Margaret (brig)
The Margaret was a British-built Australian brig that was wrecked in 1803.The Margaret was constructed in London in 1799 and registered to a company called Turnbull & Co, carrying a crew of fifteen and fitted with ten guns...
March 6, 1803 named it "Margaret island" after their ship. The atoll was visited by lieutenant Ringgold
Cadwalader Ringgold
Cadwalader Ringgold was an officer in the United States Navy who served in the United States Exploring Expedition, later headed an expedition to the Northwest and, after initially retiring, returned to service during the Civil War....
of the Wilkes Expedition on the 6 January 1841. He identified the correct name of the atoll as "Nukutipipi" by the natives.
Administration
Administratively the four atolls of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, including the uninhabited ones of Nukutepipi, Anuanuruga, and AnuanuraroAnuanuraro
Anuanuraro is an atoll in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Anuanuraro's nearest neighbor is Anuanurunga, which is located about 29 km to the southeast....
, belong to the commune of Hereheretue
Hereheretue
Hereheretue is an atoll in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. It is the northernmost island of the Duke of Gloucester Islands group, or Îles du Duc de Gloucester, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Hereheretue's nearest neighbor is Anuanuraro, which is located about 150 km away.Hereheretue Atoll...
, which is associated to the Hao
Hao (French Polynesia)
Hao, or Haorangi, is a large coral atoll in the central part of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Because of its shape, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville named it Harp Island....
commune.