Raeffsky Islands
Encyclopedia
The Raeffsky Islands or Raevski Islands ( or Îles Raevski) is a subgroup of the Tuamotu 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...

. They are located roughly in the central area of the main Tuamotu atoll cluster. (Latitude: 16° 45' 0 S, Longitude: 144° 13' 60 W)

Atolls

The Raeffsky Islands include the following atolls:
  • Anaa
    Anaa
    Anaa, Nganaa-nui is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago, in French Polynesia. It is located in the north-west of the archipelago, 350 km to the east of Tahiti. It oval in shape, 29.5 km in length and 6.5 km wide, with a total area 38 km²...

  • Faaite
    Faaite
    Faaite, or Faaiti, is an atoll of the Tuamotus in French Polynesia. It is located 60 km to the north of Anaa Atoll. The total surface of the atoll is 230 km². Its dry land area is 9 km². Its length is 28 km and its width 10.5 km.Faaite's inner lagoon has a navigable...

  • Tahanea
    Tahanea
    Tahanea Atoll is an atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 12 km to the east of Faaite Atoll.Tahanea Atoll is quite large. It measures 48 km in length with a maximum width of 15.2 km. The southern reef fringing the atoll is wider than the northern one,...

     (uninhabited)
  • Motutunga
    Motutunga
    Motutunga Atoll is an atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 17 km to the east of Tahanea Atoll.Motutunga Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 15 km in length with a maximum width of 14 km. The reef fringing the atoll is continuous. There are...

     (uninhabited)
  • Takume
    Takume
    Takume or Pukamaru is an atoll of the Tuamotus chain in French Polynesia, located northeast of Tahiti and northeast of Raroia and to the west of Fangatau.This elongated atoll measures by . Its lagoon has an area of ....

  • Raroia
    Raroia
    Raroia, or Raro-nuku, is an atoll of the Tuamotus chain in French Polynesia, located 740 km northeast of Tahiti and 6 km southwest of Takume. Administratively it is a part of the commune of Makemo....

  • Taenga
    Taenga
    Taenga, or Taunga-hara, is one of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia. It is located 32 km to the northeast of Makemo Atoll and 27 km to the northwest of Nihiru Atoll....

  • Nihiru
    Nihiru
    Nihiru, or Nikia, is one of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia. It is a relatively small atoll located 49 km to the east of Makemo Atoll and 30 km northeast of Marutea Atoll....

  • Makemo
    Makemo
    Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua, is one of the larger of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia.Makemo Atoll measures 70 km in length with an average width of 5–8 km. It is the fourth largest atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in terms of lagoon surface, with a lagoon of over 600 km²...

  • Katiu
    Katiu
    Katiu, or Taungataki, is an atoll of the central Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 23.5 km west of Makemo Atoll's westernmost point....

  • Tuanake
    Tuanake
    Tuanake or Mata-rua-puna is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 24 km southwest of Makemo Atoll's westernmost point....

     (uninhabited)
  • Hiti
    Hiti
    Hiti, or Hiti-rau-mea, is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 19 km southwest of Makemo Atoll....

     (uninhabited)
  • Tepoto (South)
    Tepoto (South)
    Tepoto Atoll , or Ti Poto, is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 44 km southwest of Makemo Atoll.Tepoto Atoll is almost round in shape. It measures 3.8 km in diameter...

    , Tepoto Sud (uninhabited)
  • Marutea Nord
    Marutea Nord
    Marutea, or Taunga tauranga-e-havana, is one of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia. It is located 24 km to the southeast of Makemo Atoll and 30 km southwest of Nihiru Atoll....

     (uninhabited)
  • Haraiki
    Haraiki
    Haraiki is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 42 km southwest of Marutea Nord.Haraiki Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 7 km in length with a maximum width of 5 km. There are three islets on its reef with a total land area of...

     (uninhabited)
  • Aratika
    Aratika
    Aratika is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. The nearest land is Kauehi Atoll, located 35 km to the south east.Aratika has an unusual butterfly shape. Its length is 20.8 km and its maximum width 10.7 km. The lagoon is wide and deep, and can be entered by two...

  • Kauehi
    Kauehi
    Kauehi, or Putake, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia.The nearest land is Raraka Atoll, located 17 km to the Southeast.Kauehi Atoll is roughly kidney-shaped and has a wide lagoon; length 23 km, width 17 km....

  • Taiaro
    Taiaro
    Taiaro, or Maro-taua, is a small atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is one of the smallest of the Tuamotu atolls. Taiaro lies 42 km to the northeast of Raraka Atoll....

     (private)
  • Raraka
    Raraka
    Raraka, or Te Marie, is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It lies 17 km to the southeast of Kauehi Atoll....

     (uninhabited)

Administration

  • The commune
    Communes of France
    The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

     of Anaa consists of 4 atolls: Anaa
    Anaa
    Anaa, Nganaa-nui is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago, in French Polynesia. It is located in the north-west of the archipelago, 350 km to the east of Tahiti. It oval in shape, 29.5 km in length and 6.5 km wide, with a total area 38 km²...

    , Faaite
    Faaite
    Faaite, or Faaiti, is an atoll of the Tuamotus in French Polynesia. It is located 60 km to the north of Anaa Atoll. The total surface of the atoll is 230 km². Its dry land area is 9 km². Its length is 28 km and its width 10.5 km.Faaite's inner lagoon has a navigable...

    , Tahanea
    Tahanea
    Tahanea Atoll is an atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 12 km to the east of Faaite Atoll.Tahanea Atoll is quite large. It measures 48 km in length with a maximum width of 15.2 km. The southern reef fringing the atoll is wider than the northern one,...

     and Motutunga
    Motutunga
    Motutunga Atoll is an atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 17 km to the east of Tahanea Atoll.Motutunga Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 15 km in length with a maximum width of 14 km. The reef fringing the atoll is continuous. There are...

    . The total population is of 639 inhabitants according to the 2002 census.

  • The commune of Makemo consists of 11 atolls: Makemo
    Makemo
    Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua, is one of the larger of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia.Makemo Atoll measures 70 km in length with an average width of 5–8 km. It is the fourth largest atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in terms of lagoon surface, with a lagoon of over 600 km²...

    , Takume
    Takume
    Takume or Pukamaru is an atoll of the Tuamotus chain in French Polynesia, located northeast of Tahiti and northeast of Raroia and to the west of Fangatau.This elongated atoll measures by . Its lagoon has an area of ....

    , Raroia
    Raroia
    Raroia, or Raro-nuku, is an atoll of the Tuamotus chain in French Polynesia, located 740 km northeast of Tahiti and 6 km southwest of Takume. Administratively it is a part of the commune of Makemo....

    , Taenga
    Taenga
    Taenga, or Taunga-hara, is one of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia. It is located 32 km to the northeast of Makemo Atoll and 27 km to the northwest of Nihiru Atoll....

    , Nihiru
    Nihiru
    Nihiru, or Nikia, is one of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia. It is a relatively small atoll located 49 km to the east of Makemo Atoll and 30 km northeast of Marutea Atoll....

    , Kaitu
    Kaitu
    Kaitu is a village in Shwegu Township in Bhamo District in the Kachin State of north-eastern Burma.-External links:**...

    , Tuanake
    Tuanake
    Tuanake or Mata-rua-puna is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 24 km southwest of Makemo Atoll's westernmost point....

    , Hiti
    Hiti
    Hiti, or Hiti-rau-mea, is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 19 km southwest of Makemo Atoll....

    , Tepoto (South)
    Tepoto (South)
    Tepoto Atoll , or Ti Poto, is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 44 km southwest of Makemo Atoll.Tepoto Atoll is almost round in shape. It measures 3.8 km in diameter...

     (Tepoto Sud), Marutea Nord
    Marutea Nord
    Marutea, or Taunga tauranga-e-havana, is one of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia. It is located 24 km to the southeast of Makemo Atoll and 30 km southwest of Nihiru Atoll....

     and Haraiki
    Haraiki
    Haraiki is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 42 km southwest of Marutea Nord.Haraiki Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 7 km in length with a maximum width of 5 km. There are three islets on its reef with a total land area of...

    . The total population is of 964 inhabitants according to the 2002 census.

  • The commune of Fakarava consists of 7 atolls in Raeffsky Group: Fakarava
    Fakarava
    Fakarava, Havaiki-te-araro, Havai'i or Farea 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 km to the northwest....

    , Aratika
    Aratika
    Aratika is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. The nearest land is Kauehi Atoll, located 35 km to the south east.Aratika has an unusual butterfly shape. Its length is 20.8 km and its maximum width 10.7 km. The lagoon is wide and deep, and can be entered by two...

    , Kauehi
    Kauehi
    Kauehi, or Putake, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia.The nearest land is Raraka Atoll, located 17 km to the Southeast.Kauehi Atoll is roughly kidney-shaped and has a wide lagoon; length 23 km, width 17 km....

    , Niau
    Niau
    Niau is a small atoll in French Polynesia, in the commune of Fakarava . This atoll has broad fringing reef and an area of 20 km²....

    , Raraka
    Raraka
    Raraka, or Te Marie, is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It lies 17 km to the southeast of Kauehi Atoll....

    , Taiaro
    Taiaro
    Taiaro, or Maro-taua, is a small atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is one of the smallest of the Tuamotu atolls. Taiaro lies 42 km to the northeast of Raraka Atoll....

     and Toau
    Toau
    Toau, Pakuria, or Taha-a-titi is a coral atoll in French Polynesia, one of the Palliser Islands . Toau has a wide lagoon; length 35 km, width 18 km. The nearest land is Fakarava Atoll, located 14 km to the Southeast....

    . The total population is of 1511 inhabitants.

UNESCO site

The ring-shaped atoll Taiaro
Taiaro
Taiaro, or Maro-taua, is a small atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is one of the smallest of the Tuamotu atolls. Taiaro lies 42 km to the northeast of Raraka Atoll....

 provides a rare example of a coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

 with a fully enclosed lagoon. The atoll was officially designated as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

in 1977.

External links

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