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Uturoa
Uturoa is a commune located in Ra'iātea, the largest island of the Îles Sous le Vent (Leeward Islands) in French Polynesia, in the South Pacific Ocean. It is situated in between the administrative subdivision of Leeward Islands (Society Islands), Leeward Islands and the main port of the island of Ra'iātea. According to the 2022 census, Uturoa has a population of 3,663. The commune lies approximately 120 miles (193.121 km) northwest of Papeete, Pape'ete, the capital of French Polynesia. History The first settlers of Uturoa were early Polynesians that came from Southeast Asia. They built simple shelters using grass and tree branches. Their diet consisted mostly of fish, wild animals, wild tubers, honey, and wild fruits. The first European to visit Uturoa was the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandez de Quirós in 1606. Quirós referred to the island as ''The Fugitive'' in his maps. In the 18th century, the famed British explorer James Cook, Captain James Cook visited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leeward Islands (Society Islands)
The Leeward Islands (, , ; ) are the western part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France, in the South Pacific Ocean. They lie south of the Line Islands (part of Kiribati), east of the Cooks and north of the Austral Islands (also part of French Polynesia). Their area is around and their population is over 36,000. History The first European to encounter the archipelago was British naval officer James Cook on 12 April 1769 during a British expedition the purpose of which was to observe the transit of Venus. He later revisited the islands twice more. It is a common misconception that he named the Leeward group of islands "Society" in honor of the Royal Society. However, Cook recorded in his journal that he named the islands “Society” because they lie close to each other. In 1840, France declared a protectorate over Tahiti. In 1847, the British and French signed the Jarnac Convention and these islands became a colony of France in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raiatea Airport
Raiatea Airport (also known as Uturoa Airport) is an airport on Raiatea, French Polynesia. It is in the village of Uturoa. The airport was inaugurated in 1962, but did not see service in 1964. A backfilling was built on the north part of the island, as no appropriate site could be found on the coast. Many people use this airport to access the nearby island of Taha'a. In 2014, 207,722 passengers used the airport. Airlines and destinations Statistics Accidents and incidents * On 19 February 1958 at 08:50, a Consolidated Catalina IIA (F-OAVV) of Réseau Aérien Interinsulaire on approach from Papeete had its right wing tip float contact the water during a shallow turn on final approach and sank in 36 meters of water in 10 minutes. 15 of the 26 occupants were killed; the crash found to be the result of poor weather conditions. This crash was French Polynesia's deadliest until Pan Am Flight 816 in 1973. See also *List of airports in French Polynesia This is a list of air ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Administrative Divisions Of French Polynesia
In French Polynesia, there are two levels of administrative divisions: five administrative subdivisions () and 48 communes.Codification des collectivités d'outre-mer (COM) INSEE, 1 March 2017Loi n° 2004-193 du 27 février 2004 complétant le statut d'autonomie de la Polynésie française (1) |
Vaitape
Vaitape is the largest city of Bora Bora Island in French Polynesia. It has a population of 4,927, about half of the island's population which is about 10,605. It is located about northwest of Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. The main language of Vaitape is French, although 20 percent of the population speaks Tahitian. History The area was first settled by early Polynesians around the 9th century. The early Polynesians built grass huts and hunted fish with spears and sticks. The Tahitians lost the Franco-Tahitian War and the Leeward Islands War making Tahiti and all the other islands belong to France. During the California Gold Rush, many people left Vaitape in search for gold. By the 1900s the population of the area had grown significantly, and during World War II it served as a military supply base, and it had an oil depot, an airstrip, and a seaplane base. Geography Vaitape is located on the western side of the main island of Bora Bora. It has a view of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen Mamea
Queen Mamea (before – after 1896) was the name given to a ruler of Raiatea and Huahine in the Society Islands by English speaking European and American newspapers during the annexation of the Leeward Islands. According to erroneous newspaper accounts, she ruled around 1,000 subjects and her reign began in the early to mid 1870s. In 1890 she successfully resisted an armed French annexation by withdrawing to the interior of her kingdom and waiting for the French to run out of supplies. Mamea repeated the tactics during a second invasion of 1896 and appealed to other foreign powers for assistance, including offering her kingdom as a state to the United States. She was captured in a surprise attack and granted the French control over her lands before being replaced by a new chief. Life summarized in newspaper accounts Early reign Mamea had been queen of Raiatea and Huahine in the Society Islands since the early to mid 1870s. She was described as the "handsomest woman in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tumaraa
Tumara'a is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Tumara'a is located on the island of Ra'iātea, in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. At the 2022 census it had a population of 3,718, making it the least populous commune on Ra'iātea. Tumara'a consists of the following associated communes: * Fetuna * Tehurui Tehurui is an associated commune on the island of Raiatea, in French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and a ... * Tevaitoa * Vaia'au The administrative centre of the commune is the settlement of Tevaitoa. The tallest mountain on Ra'iātea - Mont Temehani - is located within Tumara'a. References Communes of French Polynesia {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taputapuatea
Taputapuatea is a commune in France, commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Taputapuatea is located on the island of Raiatea, in the French Polynesia#Administrative divisions, administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands (Society Islands), Leeward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. At the 2022 census it had a population of 5,007. The commune was named after a large marae complex which was the religious center of eastern Polynesia for roughly 1000 years. The archaeological site of Taputapuatea marae is still today the most famous landmark of Raiatea, and it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017. Taputapuatea consists of the following associated communes: * Avera, Raiatea, Avera * Opoa * Puohine The administrative centre of the commune is the settlement of Avera, Raiatea, Avera. References Communes of French Polynesia World Heritage Sites in France World Heritage Sites in Fren ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is the North Island of New Zealand. The island was formed from Volcano, volcanic activity in two overlapping parts, ''Tahiti Nui'' (bigger, northwestern part) and ''Tahiti Iti'' (smaller, southeastern part); it is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs. Its population was 189,517 in 2017, making it by far the most populous island in French Polynesia and accounting for 68.7% of its total population; the 2022 Census recorded a population of 191,779. Tahiti is the economic, cultural, and political centre of French Polynesia. The capital of French Polynesia, Papeete, Papeete, is located on the northwest coast of Tahiti. The only international airport in the region, Faaʻa International ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Sand
Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands containing minerals such as magnetite, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on beaches near a volcano, consists of tiny fragments of basalt. While some beaches are predominantly made of black sand, even other color beaches (e.g. gold and white) can often have deposits of black sand, particularly after storms. Larger waves can sort out sand grains leaving deposits of heavy minerals visible on the surface of erosion escarpments. Placer deposits Black sands are used by miners and prospectors to indicate the presence of a placer formation. Placer mining activities produce a concentrate that is composed mostly of black sand. Black sand concentrates often contain additional valuables, other than precious metals: rare earth elements, thorium, titanium, tungsten, zirconium and others are often fractionated during ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised geodetic datumthat is used, for example, as a chart datum in cartography and Navigation, marine navigation, or, in aviation, as the standard sea level at which atmospheric pressure is measured to Calibration, calibrate altitude and, consequently, aircraft flight levels. A common and relatively straightforward mean sea-level standard is instead a long-term average of tide gauge readings at a particular reference location. The term ''above sea level'' generally refers to the height above mean sea level (AMSL). The term APSL means above present sea level, comparing sea levels in the past with the level today. Earth's radius at sea level is 6,378.137 km (3,963.191 mi) at the equator. It is 6,356.752 km (3,94 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
