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Tema Reef
Tema Reef, also called Tima Reef, is a submerged coral reef in the northern island group of the Cook Islands, southeast of Pukapuka coral atoll. No coral or rock shows above water, but the sea breaks heavily over the reef. Tema Reef measures about , covering a shallow but submerged area of . History Legend has it that Tima, an Aitutakian warrior sailed to Nassau, but was chased away by Ngalewu, a chief from Pukapuka. On his return to Aitutaki Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the ... he passed the reef nearby and named it ''Te Toka-O-Tima'', the Stone of Tima The reef was sighted by Commodore John Byron on June 21, 1765. Captain William Williams of the missionary ship ''John Williams'' sighted the reef on May 15, 1864. It was again examined by in 1880. References ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coral Reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Coral belongs to the class Anthozoa in the animal phylum Cnidaria, which includes sea anemones and jellyfish. Unlike sea anemones, corals secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons that support and protect the coral. Most reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated water. Coral reefs first appeared 485 million years ago, at the dawn of the Early Ordovician, displacing the microbial and sponge reefs of the Cambrian. Sometimes called ''rainforests of the sea'', shallow coral reefs form some of Earth's most diverse ecosystems. They occupy less than 0.1% of the world's ocean area, about half the area of France, yet they provide a home for at least 25% of all marine species, including fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Cook Islands
The Northern Cook Islands is one of the two chains of atolls which make up the Cook Islands. Lying in a horizontal band between 9° and 13°30' south of the Equator, the chain consists of the atolls of Manihiki, Nassau, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rakahanga and Suwarrow, along with the submerged Tema Reef. Geography The chain forms a roughly inverted triangular shape, stretching from Penrhyn in the northeast to Pukapuka in the northwest and to Suwarrow in the south. The Northern Cook Islands are separated from the Southern Cook Islands by a wide stretch of the Pacific Ocean, with the nearest part of the Southern chain being Palmerston Island, due south of Suwarrow. With an area of just 21 sq. km. and a population of 1,041 (according to the 2016 census), the islands only account for some 6% of the Cooks' population and 9% of the land area. Almost all of this population is on the three islands of Pukapuka, Manihiki, and Penrhyn. The two chains are also geographically different: altho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its capital. The Cook Islands is self-governing while in free association with New Zealand. Since the start of the 21st century, the Cook Islands conducts its own independent foreign and defence policy, and also has its own customs regulations. Like most members of the Pacific Islands Forum, it has no armed forces, but the Cook Islands Police Service owns a Guardian Class Patrol Boat, , provided by Australia, in order to police its waters. In recent decades, the Cook Islands have adopted an increasingly assertive and distinct foreign policy, and a Cook Islander, Henry Puna, served as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum from 2021 to 2024. Most Cook Islanders are also citizens of New Zealand, but they also have the status of Coo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pukapuka
Pukapuka, formerly Danger Island, is a coral atoll in the Northern Cook Islands, northern group of the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most remote islands of the Cook Islands, situated about northwest of Rarotonga. On this small island, an ancient culture and distinct language have been maintained over many centuries. The population of Pukapuka is around 400 people. Etymology The traditional name for the atoll is ("The Head of the Rock"), The modern name Pukapuka (sometimes written as Bukabuka) originally applied to the main island of the atoll, and is of uncertain etymology. In modern times, the main island is often called Wale ("Home"). Pukapuka has been given various names by European explorers. Pedro Fernandes de Queirós sighted an island in 1595, likely Pukapuka, and called this San Bernardo. On 21 June 1665 John Byron sighted Pukapuka, calling it Islands of Danger, as he was unable to land due to high surf. A version of this name, Danger Isla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nassau (Cook Islands)
Nassau is an island in the northern group of the Cook Islands. It is approximately north of the capital island of Rarotonga and from Pukapuka coral atoll. Lacking an airstrip, it is accessible only by boat. It is named after a 19th-century whaling ship. Its indigenous name, ''Te Nuku-o-Ngalewu'', means "Land of Ngalewu" after the Pukapukan who was put in charge of it. Geography Located south of Pukapuka, Nassau is just above sea level, with an oval sandy cay on a coral reef foundation and is surrounded by a narrow reef flat. It is covered with palms, and is the only island of the Northern Group without a lagoon. The surrounding reef is wide on all but the north side where it's narrower. The village is located in the north-west. Inland there are rich taro swamps and fruit groves, and offshore there is good fishing. It has a population of 78, according to the 2016 census. Nassau is governed by the Pukapuka Island Council. The Nassau Island Committee advises the Pukapuka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aitutaki
Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the lagoon has an area of between . A major tourist destination, Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands archipelago. Aitutaki had a population of 1,712 in 2016. The main village is Arutanga (Arutunga) on the west side. Geography Aitutaki is sometimes described as an "almost atoll", for it consists of a lagoon within an encircling atoll, with a significant area of high land on one side. It has a maximum elevation of approximately with the hill known as Maunga Pu close to its northernmost point. The land area of the atoll is , of which the main island occupies . The Ootu Peninsula, protruding east from the main island in a southerly direction along the eastern rim of the reef, takes up out of the main island. For the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Byron
Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sailed in the squadron under George Anson on his voyage around the world, though Byron's ship, HMS ''Wager'', made it only to southern Chile, where it was wrecked. He returned to England with the captain of the ship. He was governor of Newfoundland following Hugh Palliser, who left in 1768. He circumnavigated the world as a commodore with his own squadron in 1764–1766. He fought in battles in the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution. He rose to Vice Admiral of the White before his death in 1786. His grandsons include the poet Lord Byron and George Anson Byron, admiral and explorer, who were the 6th and 7th Baron Byron, respectively. One of his great-granddaughters was the mathematician and informatics pioneer Ada Lovelace. Earl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Williams (ship)
''John Williams'' was a missionary ship under the command of Captain Robert Clark Morgan (1798–1864) and owned by the London Missionary Society (LMS). She was named after John Williams (1796–1839), a missionary who had been active in the South Pacific. She was paid for by the contribution of English school children. She sank in 50 fathoms after drifting onto a reef at Danger Island (Pukapuka) on 16 May 1864. The passengers and crew were rescued. Six more ''John Williams'' ships successively operated in the Pacific as part of the LMS's missionary work, the last, ''John Williams VII'', being built in 1962 and decommissioned in 1968. General specifications ''John Williams'' was launched at Harwich on 20 March 1844. She was of 296 ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reefs Of The Cook Islands
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave erosion planning down rock outcrops. However, reefs such as the coral reefs of tropical waters are formed by biotic (living) processes, dominated by corals and coralline algae. Artificial reefs, such as shipwrecks and other man-made underwater structures, may occur intentionally or as the result of an accident. These are sometimes designed to increase the physical complexity of featureless sand bottoms to attract a more diverse range of organisms. They provide shelter to various aquatic animals which help prevent extinction. Another reason reefs are put in place is for aquaculture, and fish farmers who are looking to improve their businesses sometimes invest in them. Reefs are often quite near to the surface, but not all definitions require this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
