Ahe, Ahemaru or Omaru,[1] is an almost entirely-enclosed coral atoll, located in the northern Tuamotu Archipelago, just 14 km to the west of Manihi, in French Polynesia.
Ahe Atoll's ring shape is broken by only a single small passage into the lagoon. Length 23.5 km, width 12.2 km. Latitude 14° 30'; Longitude S 146° 20' W.
Ahe Atoll has 441 inhabitants. The only village in Ahe is Tenukupara with approximately 100 inhabitants. It is located on an island in the south side of the Atoll.[2]
Geographically Ahe Atoll is part of the King George Islands (Iles du Roi Georges) subgroup, which includes Ahe, Manihi, Takapoto, Takaroa and Tikei.
There are several pearl farms in Ahe's lagoon.
Contents |
The first recorded Europeans to arrive to Ahe Atoll were Dutch mariners Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616.
Ahe was later visited by the historic United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842.[3] Charles Wilkes called the atoll "Peacock Island" after one of the ships of the expedition. [4] This atoll has sometimes suffered damages caused by cyclones.[5]
Ahe has a territorial (domestic) airport which was inaugurated in 1997.
Ahe Atoll belongs to the commune of Manihi, which consists of the atolls of Manihi and Ahe.[6]
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||