Rūrutu is the northernmost island in the Austral Islands, Austral archipelago of French Polynesia, and the name of a commune consisting solely of that island. It is situated south of Tahiti. Its land area is .
[Environnement marin des îles Australes]
p. 205 It is 10.8 km long and 5.3 km wide. Its highest point (Manureva) is .
[ At the 2017 census it had a population of 2,466.][Répartition de la population en Polynésie française en 2017]
Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française
Geologically, Rurutu was initially formed 12 million years ago by the Macdonald hotspot, a hotspot (geology), hotspot associated with the Macdonald seamount. Over the next 10 million years, erosion shrank the island until it was almost an atoll. Then, just over a million years ago, Rurutu passed over the Arago hotspot, which lifted it roughly 150 meters. Steep sea cliffs of ancient coral lifted by the event — called ''makatea'' — now largely encircle the island. These are riddled with caves filled with concretions — indeed, Rurutu is largely unique among islands in French Polynesia in that its historic inhabitants were cave-dwelling.
Because it is endowed with a fringing reef, Rurutu has in recent years become known for whale watching: Humpback whales come and reproduce here between July and October within easy sighting distance from the beach.
Although its tiny community still subsists primarily on fishing and basic agriculture, tourism has been a growing industry, especially since François Mitterrand's visit in 1990. Whale watching season sees the bulk of tourists, but the largely untouched native culture, the white sand beaches, and the lush tropical flora draw small numbers of tourists year-round.
Administration
The commune of Rurutu consists of the island of Rurutu, and is subdivided into the following associated communes:[Décret n°72-407 du 17 mai 1972 portant création de communes dans le territoire de la Polynésie française]
Légifrance
* Avera, Rurutu, Avera
* Hauti
* Moerai
Notable people
*Teuruarii IV, last king of Rurutu
See also
*Rurutu Airport
*Statue of A'a from Rurutu
References
External links
*
Natural and cultural heritage of Rurutu on Tahiti Heritage with Google maps
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Islands of the Austral Islands
Communes of French Polynesia