Nihiru, or Niukia, is one of the
Tuamotu
The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to ...
atolls in
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 relatively small atoll located 49 km to the east of
Makemo Atoll and 30 km northeast of
Marutea Atoll.
Nihiru Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 14 km in length with a maximum width of 10.5 km. Its lagoon has an area of 79 km
2.
Nihiru had 11 inhabitants in 2012, most of whom originated from
Taenga.
History
The first recorded European to arrive to Nihiru was Russian oceanic explorer
Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
Faddey Faddeyevich Bellingshausen or Fabian Gottlieb Benjamin von Bellingshausen ( – ) was a Russian cartographer, explorer, and naval officer of Baltic German descent, who attained the rank of admiral. He participated in the first Russi ...
in 1820 on ships ''Vostok'' and ''Mirni''. He named this atoll "Nigeri".
Administration
Nihiru Atoll 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.
References
*
Atoll namesMacrobenthic species in lagoons
External links
Atolls of the Tuamotus
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