Toau, Pakuria, or Taha-a-titi is a

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

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 ...

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 ...

, one of the

Palliser Islands The Palliser Islands or Pallisers are a subgroup of the Tuamotus, Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. They are located in the very northwest of the main group of atolls. Atolls The group includes: *Apataki *Arutua *Fakarava *Kaukura *Mataiva *Rang ...

(Îles Pallisier). Toau has a wide lagoon; length , width . The nearest land is

Fakarava Fakarava, Havaiki-te-araro, Havai'i or Farea is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is the second largest of the Tuamotu atolls. The nearest land is Toau, a coral atoll which lies to the northwest. The atoll is ro ...

Atoll, located to the southeast. Toau Atoll had a population of 18 in 2012. The main village is called Maragai.

Historical facts

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), 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 176 ...

was the first recorded

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an to sight the atoll, in April 1774. In some maps Toau appears as "Elizabeth".

Administration

Toau Atoll belongs to the commune of

, which consists of Fakarava, as well as the atolls of Aratika, Kauehi, Niau, Raraka, Taiaro and Toau.

References

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PicturesIsland names

External links

Atolls of the Tuamotus {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub