Haraiki

Haraiki[2] is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 42 km southwest of Marutea Nord.

Haraiki
NASA picture of Haraiki Atoll
Haraiki
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates17°28′S 143°28′W
ArchipelagoTuamotus
Area10.4 km2 (4.0 sq mi)  (lagoon)
4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) (above water)
Length7 km (4.3 mi)
Width5 km (3.1 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
Administrative subdivisionTuamotus
CommuneMakemo
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited[1] (2012)

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 about 4 km². Its lagoon has a pass facing south.

Haraiki is purportedly uninhabited. However, Google Maps reveals there is a small collection of buildings on the north shore (-17.446343,-143.455739) and that the bulk of the land on all three islets has been heavily planted with a grid-like patchwork of trees or large shrubs.

History

The first recorded European to sight Haraiki Atoll was Spanish navigator Domingo de Boenechea on October 31, 1772 on ship Aguila. He named this atoll "San Quintín".[3][4]

Administration

Haraiki belongs to the commune of Makemo, which consists of the atolls of Makemo, Haraiki, Marutea Nord, Katiu, Tuanake, Hiti, Tepoto Sud, Raroia, Takume, Taenga and Nihiru.

Another NASA picture of Haraiki Atoll.
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References
  1. "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. Young, J.L. (1899). "Names of the Paumotu Islands, with the old names so far as they are known". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 8 (4): 264–268. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  3. Robson, R.W. The Pacific Islands Handbook New York, 1946, p.94
  4. Salmond, Anne (2010). Aphrodite's Island. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 241. ISBN 9780520261143.



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