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Tubuai (Austral Islands)
Encyclopedia
Tubuai is the name of a group of island
s and also the name of its main island, being part of the Austral Islands
, French Polynesia
, in the Pacific Ocean
. Tubuai, the main island of the Tubuai Island group, is located at 23°23′00"S 149°27′00"W. It is 640 km (397.7 mi) south of Tahiti
. It sustains a population of 2,049 people on 45 km² (17.4 sq mi) of land.
According to David Stanley's South Pacific Handbook:
Tubuai was mapped by Captain James Cook in 1777. The mutineers of the HMS Bounty
sailed to Tubuai and attempted to settle at Taahuaia but were forced to leave after two months due to conflict with the native islanders. Tubuai is portrayed as an island of cannibals in one of the movie versions of the Mutiny on the Bounty
novel.
in 1881.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s and also the name of its main island, being part of the Austral Islands
Austral Islands
The Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the South Pacific. Geographically, they consist of two separate archipelagos, namely in the northwest the Tubuai Islands consisting of the Îles Maria, Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubuai...
, 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...
, in the 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...
. Tubuai, the main island of the Tubuai Island group, is located at 23°23′00"S 149°27′00"W. It is 640 km (397.7 mi) south of Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
. It sustains a population of 2,049 people on 45 km² (17.4 sq mi) of land.
According to David Stanley's South Pacific Handbook:
The Austral islands were one of the great art areas of the Pacific,
represented today in many museums. The best-known artifacts are tall
sharkskin drums, wooden bowls, fly whisks, and tapa cloth.
Tubuai was mapped by Captain James Cook in 1777. The mutineers of the HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty , famous as the scene of the Mutiny on the Bounty on 28 April 1789, was originally a three-masted cargo ship, the Bethia, purchased by the British Admiralty, then modified and commissioned as His Majesty's Armed Vessel the...
sailed to Tubuai and attempted to settle at Taahuaia but were forced to leave after two months due to conflict with the native islanders. Tubuai is portrayed as an island of cannibals in one of the movie versions of the Mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty (novel)
For the actual event described in this book, see Mutiny on the Bounty.Mutiny on the Bounty is the title of the 1932 novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, based on the mutiny against Lieutenant William Bligh, commanding officer of the Bounty in 1789. It has been made into several films...
novel.
Administration
Tubuai is the administrative capital of the Austral Islands, and the commune consists solely of the one island. Tubuai was annexed by FranceFrance
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...
in 1881.