Austral Islands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Austral Islands Native name: Îles Australes |
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 Flag of the Austral Islands |
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Archipelago | Polynesia |
| Total islands | 7 |
| Major islands | Îles Maria, Rimatara, Rapa Iti, Tubuai |
| Area | 148 km²
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| Administration | |
 France |
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| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Largest city | Rurutu (2,088) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 6,310[1] (as of Aug. 2007 census) |
| Density | 43/km² |
The Austral Islands (French: Îles Australes or Archipel des Australes) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the South Pacific. Geographically, the Austral Islands consist of two separate archipelagos. From northwest to southeast they are:
- The "Tubuai Islands" (French: Îles Tubuaï), named for one of the main islands. It consists of:
- Îles Maria ( ) in the northwest, part of Rimatara municipality
- Rimatara ( ),
- Rurutu ( ),
- Tubuai ( ),
- Raivavae or Raevavae ( ),
- The "Bass Islands" (French: Îles Bass), is composed of :
The islands of Maria and Marotiri are not suitable for sustained habitation. Several of the islands have uninhabited islets or rocks off their coastlines.
In administrative terms, the Austral Islands (including the Bass Islands) constitute an administrative subdivision, the Austral Islands (subdivision administrative des (Îles) Australes), one of French Polynesia's five administrative subdivisions (subdivision administratives). Geographically, the administrative subdivision of the Austral Islands is identical with the electoral district of the Austral Islands (circonscription des Îles Australes), one of French Polynesia's six electoral districts (circonsriptions électorales) for the Assembly of French Polynesia.
The capital of the Austral Islands administrative subdivision is Tubuai.
[edit] See also
- French overseas departments and territories
- Administrative divisions of France
- Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans
- List of islands of France
- Politics of French Polynesia
[edit] References
- ^ (French) Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). Recensement de la population 2007 (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
[edit] External links
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