Apataki
NASA picture of Apataki Atoll
|
|
 Apataki
|
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 15°26′57″S 146°19′45″W / 15.44917°S 146.32917°WCoordinates: 15°26′57″S 146°19′45″W / 15.44917°S 146.32917°W |
| Archipelago | Tuamotus |
| Area | 706 km2 (273 sq mi) (lagoon) 20 km2 (8 sq mi) (above water) |
| Length | 34 km (21.1 mi) |
| Width | 24 km (14.9 mi) |
| Administration | |
|
France
|
|
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Tuamotus |
| Commune | Arutua |
| Largest settlement | Niutahi |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 350 (2012) |
| Pop. density | 18 /km2 (47 /sq mi) |
Apataki is a coral atoll in the South Pacific Ocean, territorially part of French Polynesia. It is one of the Palliser Islands, a subgroup of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Apataki is located approximately 370 kilometres (230 miles) northeast of the island of Tahiti, 17 km (11 mi) east of Arutua and 24 km (15 mi) northeast of Kaukura. The island is approximately rectangular; it is 34 km (21 mi) long and 24 km (15 mi) wide. It has a total area of approximately 706 km2 with a land area of approximately 20 km2 (8 sq mi). Its wide lagoon has two navigable passes to enter it.
As of 2012[update], Apataki Atoll has 350 inhabitants, down from 492 in 2007. The main village is called Niutahi.
The first recorded European to sight Apataki Atoll was Dutch navigator Jakob Roggeveen in 1722. It was visited by James Cook in 1774.
Apataki appears in some maps as "Hagemeister Island".
On 27 May 1902, while Paul Gauguin was living in the Marquesas Islands, the mail-boat Croix du Sud between Papeete and Atuona was shipwrecked at Apataki. leading to a three-month loss of supplies for the islanders.
There is a territorial (domestic) airfield in Apataki which was inaugurated in 1977.
Administratively, Apataki Atoll is part of the commune of Arutua.
Apataki has an airport but no tourism industry. The only main industry of the island is cultured Tahitian (black) pearls. The coconut palm, which forms the basis for copra (dried coconut) production, used to be of special economic importance to the islanders. On a few islands, the residents cultivate vanilla. Agriculture is generally limited to simple subsistence. Pandanus leaves are traditionally woven together as roof thatch (although corrugated sheet metal is also used today), as well as for other items such as mats and hats.
...
Wikipedia