Anaa
NASA picture of Anaa Atoll
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 Anaa
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 17°20′31″S 145°30′31″W / 17.34194°S 145.50861°W |
| Archipelago | Tuamotus |
| Area | 90 km2 (35 sq mi) (lagoon) 38 km2 (15 sq mi) (above water) |
| Length | 29.5 km (18.33 mi) |
| Width | 6.5 km (4.04 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Highest point | (unnamed) |
| Administration | |
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France
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| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Tuamotus |
| Commune | Anaa |
| Largest settlement | Tukuhora |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 497 (2012) |
| Pop. density | 13 /km2 (34 /sq mi) |
| Anaa | |
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| Commune | |
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| Coordinates: 17°20′31″S 145°30′31″W / 17.3419°S 145.5087°WCoordinates: 17°20′31″S 145°30′31″W / 17.3419°S 145.5087°W | |
| Country | France |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Area | 55.95 km2 (21.60 sq mi) |
| Population (2012)1 | 898 |
| • Density | 16/km2 (42/sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 98711 / |
| 1Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Anaa, Nganaa-nui (or Ara-ura) 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 is oval in shape, 29.5 km in length and 6.5 km wide, with a total land area of 38 km² and a population of 500. The atoll is made up by eleven small barren islands with deeper and more fertile soil than other atolls in the Tuamotus. The lagoon is shallow, without entrance, and formed by three main basins. Although it does not have any navigable access, the water of the lagoon renews by several small channels that can be crossed walking.
The atoll of Anaa was known by the legendary cruelty of its soldiers who in the seventeenth century, dominated the north-west of the Tuamotus.
The Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós landed on Anaa on 10 February 1606 and named it Conversión de San Pablo. Its sight was recorded by French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1768.James Cook sighted it in 1769. Because of its shape, he called it Chain Island. Later, Anaa was visited by Spanish explorer Domingo de Boenechea, on November 1 of 1772, who called it Isla de Todos los Santos (All Saints Island) because they arrived on All Saints' Day.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, control of the atoll went to the Pomaré of Tahiti. Around 1850 Anaa was an active center of the nacre commerce and copra, with a maximum population of 2,000. The missionary competition between Mormons of North America and French Catholics led to a revolt in 1852, and an intervention by French colonial troops.
In 1878 and 1906 Anaa suffered severe hurricane damages and was completely flooded. After the hurricane of 1983, the only village was moved and reconstructed, incorporating a refuge shelter with capacity for all its population.
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Wikipedia