Akamaru is the third largest island in the

Gambier Islands The Gambier Islands ( or ) are an archipelago in French Polynesia, located at the southeast terminus of the Tuamotu archipelago. They cover an area of , and are made up of the Mangareva Islands, a group of high islands remnants of a caldera alo ...

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

. It is a small, rocky island with an area of approximately . The island is located approximately southeast of

Mangareva Mangareva is the central and largest island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north. Mangareva has a permanent p ...

, which is the largest island of the whole Gambier Islands archipelago. Akamaru's highest point rises to an elevation of . The first European to arrive was the navigator

James Wilson James Wilson may refer to: Politicians and government officials Canada * James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada * James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Queb ...

in 1797. In 1834, the French missionary

Honoré Laval Honoré Laval, SS.CC., (born ''Louis-Jacques Laval''; 5/6 February 1808 – 1 November 1880) was a French people, French Catholic priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (also known as the Picpus Fathers), a religious ins ...

celebrated the first Mass on the island. The church of

Notre-Dame de la Paix Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the ...

was built between 1835 and 1862. People from Mangareva sometimes visit to maintain the church and pick

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

s in season. According to the 2012 census, there are 22 inhabitants. The much smaller island of

Mekiro Mekiro is an island of the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching ...

is located just off (about 100 m) Akamaru's northwestern shore. Akamaru1

Gallery

File:Akamaru.2.jpg, View of Akamaru and

File:Eglise.Notre-Dame_de_la_Paix.Akamaru.jpg, Church of Notre-Dame de la Paix File:Allee.Akamaru.jpg, Alley of coconut trees File:Akamaru.02.01.14.4.JPG, View on Mangareva island from Akamaru File:Akamaru.02.01.14.3.JPG, Palms

References

Islands of the Gambier Islands {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub