Takaroa, Taka-roa or Takapua, is an

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

in 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 ...

group 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 has a length of and a width of ; its

land area This is a list of the world's countries and their dependencies, ranked by total area, including land and water. This list includes entries that are not limited to those in the ISO 3166-1 standard, which covers sovereign states and dependent ...

is . The nearest land is

Takapoto Takapoto, Tua-poto or Oura, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It has a length of and a width of . The nearest land is Takaroa Atoll, located to the northeast. Takapoto's lagoon has a high salinity and a strong phytoplankt ...

Atoll, located to the southwest. Fine pearls, including black pearls, were obtained in the

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

of Takaroa. Geographically Takaroa is part of the

King George Islands The King George Islands ( ) is a subgroup of the Tuamotus Archipelago group in French Polynesia. The King George Islands include four atolls and one island: * Ahe * Manihi * Takapoto * Takaroa * Tikei Island Tikei is the easternmost island ...

(Iles du Roi Georges) subgroup, which includes

Ahe Ahe, Ahemaru or Omaru, is a coral atoll in the northern Tuamotus, Tuamotu Archipelago, 14 km to the west of Manihi, in French Polynesia. Its ring shape is broken by only a single small passage into the lagoon. It has a land area of approxi ...

Manihi Manihi, or Paeua, is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, part of French Polynesia. It is one of the northernmost of the Tuamotus, located in the King George subgroup. The closest land to Manihi is Ahe Atoll, located 14 km to the west. ...

, Takaroa and

Tikei Tikei, also known as Manu, Tikai and Tiku is an island in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. Tikei is not a typical Tuamotu atoll, as its former lagoon filled in. The island is long, wide, and has a land area of . Its highest elevation is a ...

. Takaroa Atoll has 537 inhabitants (2022). The main village is Teavaroa. Takaroa is the ''northernmost'' atoll in

. Takaroa is located in the

Tuamotu Islands 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 ...

History

The first recorded Europeans to arrive to Takaroa were Dutch explorers

Jacob le Maire Jacob Le Maire (c. 1585 – 22 December 1616) was a Dutch mariner who circumnavigated the Earth in 1615 and 1616. The strait between Tierra del Fuego and Isla de los Estados was named the Le Maire Strait in his honour, though not without contro ...

and

Willem Schouten Willem Cornelisz Schouten (1625) was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean. Biography Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born around 1567 in Hoorn, Holland, Seve ...

on 14 April 1616 during their Pacific journey. They called this atoll "Sondergrond Island".

Captain Cook Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He complet ...

visited the island in 1774. Takaroa territorial airport was inaugurated in 1986.

Geography

Climate

Takaroa has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Af''), bordering upon a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(''Am''). The average annual temperature in Takaroa is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in March, at around , and lowest in August, at around . The hottest temperature ever recorded in Takaroa was on 20 January 1998; the coolest being on 10 January 1976.

Administration

The commune of Takaroa consists of the islands of Takaroa, Takapoto and Tikei.Décret n°72-407 du 17 mai 1972 portant création de communes dans le territoire de la Polynésie française

Légifrance Légifrance () is the official website of the French government for the publication of legislation, regulations, and legal information. It was established by decree in 2002. Access to the site is free. Virtually complete, it presents or refers to ...

References

Atoll namesle Maire & Schouten

External links