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Tepoto (South)
Encyclopedia
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...
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...
. It is located 44 km southwest of 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...
Atoll.
Tepoto Atoll is almost round in shape. It measures 3.8 km in diameter. Its lovely turquoise-blue lagoon is connected to the ocean by a narrow channel in the north-east.
This atoll is sometimes called Tepoto Sud in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, to distinguish it from the island of Tepoto
Tepoto (North)
Tepoto, also known as Te Poto, Toho, or Pukapoto, is a coral island. It is the northwesternmost of the Disappointment Islands, in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Despite being often referred to as "atoll", Tepoto is not a typical Tuamotu atoll, but a single separate island without lagoon...
, approximately 400 km (240 mi) to the northeast in the Disappointment Islands
Disappointment Islands
The Disappointment Islands are a subgroup of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. They are located towards the northeast, away from the main Tuamotu group....
.
The small group formed by Tepoto Sud, 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....
and 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....
is also known as the "Raevski Atolls". The Tuamotu Reed-warbler
Tuamotu Reed-warbler
The Tuamotu Reed-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found only in French Polynesia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
and the Polynesian Ground Dove are found in this area.
Tepoto Atoll is permanently uninhabited.
According to articles in Ireland's Own
Ireland's Own
Ireland's Own is a family magazine published weekly in Ireland. It specialises in lightweight content, traditional stories, knitting patterns, and uncontroversial family content, including puzzles and recipes. It was launched in 26 November 1902 by John M...
and the Times Educational Supplement
Times Educational Supplement
The Times Educational Supplement is a weekly UK publication aimed primarily at school teachers in the UK. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in The Times newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 1914, the supplement became a separate publication selling for 1 penny.The TES...
Website, the atoll is identified by Tony Crowley
Tony Crowley
Tony Crowley , Richmond, Yorkshire, England) is a former merchant navy officer who has written and illustrated many careers and educational publications. After a feral childhood in a transit camp by the Sinai, he was sent to the Duke of York's Royal Military School and later attended Sir John Cass...
as being the site of buried treasure stolen during the 19th century by four adventurers from a church in Pisco
Pisco, Peru
Pisco is a city located in the Ica Region of Peru, the capital of the Pisco Province. The city is around 9 metres above sea level. Originally the villa of Pisco was founded in 1640, close to the indigenous emplacement of the same name...
, Peru. Over the years, people have searched for the treasure without success, though an Australian visitor to the atoll discovered a cache of medallions, the contents of which indicated they came from South America.
History
Tepoto Sud was sighted by French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1768, but the first European to land was Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von BellingshausenFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen was an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, cartographer and explorer, who ultimately rose to the rank of Admiral...
in 1820.
Administration
Tepoto Sud belongs to the commune of Makemo, which consists of the atolls of Makemo, HaraikiHaraiki
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...
, 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....
, 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....
, 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 Sud, 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....
, 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 ....
, 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....
and 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....
.