Temoe, or Te Moe, is a small
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 ...
of 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 ...
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 in the far southeast 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 ...
group archipelago. It lies about 37 km southeast from the Gambier Islands and more than southeast from
Mataiva
Mataiva (meaning "Nine Eyes" in Tuamotuan language, Tuamotuan), Tepoetiriura ("Sparkling Pearl") , at the other end of the Tuamotu archipelago.
Temoe Atoll is
trapezoid
In geometry, a trapezoid () in North American English, or trapezium () in British English, is a quadrilateral that has at least one pair of parallel sides.
The parallel sides are called the ''bases'' of the trapezoid. The other two sides are ...
al in shape and bound by a continuous reef with many small shallow spillways. It is in length and has a maximum width of . 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 ...
has a maximum depth of . Its islands are low and flat and the lagoon has no navigable pass to enter it.
Temoe is permanently uninhabited. Administratively it belongs to the commune of 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 ...
.
southwest of Temoe Atoll lies
Portland Reef
The Portland Reef () is a submerged shoal not rising above the surface in the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the far southeast of the Tuamotu group archipelago, about 68 km southeast from the Gambier Islands, and 30&n ...
, a submerged
shoal
In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body ...
lying at a depth of about .
History
Temoe was formerly inhabited. There are
ancient Polynesian archaeological remains on this lonely atoll; foremost among these are temple structures (
marae
A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
).
It is said that buccaneer
Edward Davis might have arrived at Temoe and
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 ...
in 1686; there is no historical proof of this.
The first recorded European to effectively arrive at Temoe was British mariner
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 ...
on the ship
''Duff'' in 1797. Captain Wilson named this atoll "Crescent Island".
In 1838, Christian missionaries moved all the inhabitants of Temoe to Mangareva to help in construction work.
Rats were eradicated from Temoe Island in 2015. Their eradication was confirmed in 2020.
Birds Thrive Five Years After Restoration
/ref>
See also
* Desert island
An uninhabited island, desert island, or deserted island, is an island, islet or atoll which lacks permanent human population. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereotypes ...
* List of islands
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water
A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refer ...
References
External links
Atoll list
Atoll names
Island Conservation: Acteon and Gambier Archipelagos Restoration Project
{{Authority control
Atolls of the Tuamotus
Islands of the Gambier Islands
Uninhabited islands of French Polynesia
Island restoration