Arutua
Location of Arutua Atoll in the Pacific Ocean
Arutua, or Ngaru-atua is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is located 40 km SW of Rangiroa. The closest land is Apataki Atoll, only 16 km to the East.
Arutua Atoll has a roughly pentagonal shape. Length 31 km, width 24 km. Its lagoon is wide and deep with one navigable passage. Arutua has a population of 554 inhabitants. The main village is Rautini. There is a small airport at Arutua which was opened in 1984.
Geographically Arutua belongs to the Palliser Islands (Îles Palliser) subgroup of the Tuamotus.
History
The first recorded European to visit Arutua Atoll was Jakob Roggeveen (who also first sighted Easter Island) in 1722. British mariner Frederick Beechey touched at Arutua in 1826. He named this atoll "Cockburn Island".
Administration
This atoll is the capital of the commune of Arutua, which consists of Arutua, as well as the atolls of Apataki and Kaukura.
Images and maps
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Image Source: Landsat S-06-15_2008
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Map Source: EVS Precision Map (1:170,000)
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References
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