Taenga, or Taunga-hara, 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 located 32 km to the northeast of

Makemo Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua, is an inhabited atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia. History Makemo is the home of legendary Polynesian hero Moeava. The first recorded European to arrive to Makemo Atoll was English pearl mer ...

Atoll and 27 km to the northwest of Nihiru Atoll. Taenga Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 27 km in length with a maximum width of 11 km. Taenga's lagoon has an area of . It is very difficult to enter on account of the currents and the very narrow pass. This atoll has 65 inhabitants (2022), most of whom are

Mormons Mormons are a Religious denomination, religious and ethnocultural group, cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's d ...

who have lived there since 1845.''The Lost Island of Saints''
by Yves and Kathleen Perrin, Ensign, June 1986, 39.

History

Taenga Atoll was first discovered by

John Buyers John Buyers was the British first officer of the brig Barwell (1782 ship), ''Barwell'' in 1799 on her voyage to China. Later he was the first officer of the brig Margaret (1799 brig), ''Margaret'' as an investment he and John Turnbull made in Tu ...

on 10 March 1803 who named it "Holts Island" on the same day as he discovered

atoll. It was later rediscovered by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n 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. In some maps it still appears as "Yermolov".

Administration

Taenga 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

* * *Yves and Kathleen Perrin
"The Lost Island of Saints"
''

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

'', June 1986
Atoll names
Atolls of the Tuamotus The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in French Polynesia {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub