Hikueru
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Hikueru is one of the Central Tuamotu atolls. It was discovered by Bougainville in 1768, and is situated 17°35' south and 142°39' west. It is oval in shape and 15 km long.
[edit] History
Like Marokau, Hikueru used to be a large natural pearl oyster reserve. The 1903 cyclone wrought considerable damage, however, and caused the death of 377 people, including 261 from the island of Hao. In his "South Sea Tales", Jack London gives a vivid description of this disastrous hurricane.
In the 1988 census, only 123 inhabitants were found to be still living on Hikueru. The population of this island makes a living by collecting copra. Up to the 1970s, it was one of the main deep-sea diving centres in the Tuamotu atolls.
[edit] Trivia
- Was the primary setting of the 1941 Newbery Medal award winning book Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry.
[edit] External links
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