Tūpai (), also called Motu Iti, is a low-lying

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

Society Islands The Society Islands ( , officially ; ) are an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean that includes the major islands of Tahiti, Mo'orea, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country ...

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 lies 19 km to the north of

Bora Bora Bora Bora (French language, French: ''Bora-Bora''; Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Pora Pora'') is an island group in the Leeward Islands (Society Islands), Leeward Islands in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific. The Leeward Islands comprise the we ...

and belongs to the western

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

( French: ''Îles Sous-le-vent''). This small atoll is only 11 km² in size. Its broad coral reef encloses a shallow sandy lagoon. There are almost continuous long wooded motus on Tūpai's reef. Tūpai has no permanent residents apart from some workers in its coconut plantations. A private airfield was inaugurated on Tūpai in 2001, and its use is restricted.

Administration

The atoll of Tūpai belongs administratively to the commune of

. In 1926 the island was considered for settling a small community of Slovak colonists but was later dropped in favor of the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

External links

* Atolls of the Society Islands {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub