Puka-Puka

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This article is about Puka Puka in French Polynesia. For the coral atoll in the Cook Islands, see Pukapuka.

Puka-Puka, is a coral atoll in the northeastern Tuamotu Archipelago, sometimes included as a member of the Disappointment Islands. It is located at 14° 49' S. lat. and 138° 48' W. long.

The low coral islands are dry and sparsely populated: according to the 2002 census, the total population was 197. The chief town is Te One Mahina, with about 110 inhabitants.

Unlike the rest of the Tuamotus, the language of the islands, Pukapukan, is Marquesic.

Puka Puka was the first of the Tuamotus sighted by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Historical names given by explorers are Dog Island and Honden Island.

On July 30, 1947, Thor Heyerdahl and his six-man expedition aboard the raft, Kon Tiki made their first sighting of land since departing Callao, Peru when they passed by Puka Puka.

The islands were devastated by a typhoon in 1996, however, with French assistance, Te One Mahina has been rebuilt.