Makemo
 NASA picture of Makemo Atoll | |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°35′55″S 143°39′41″W / 16.59861°S 143.66139°W |
| Archipelago | Tuamotus |
| Area |
603 km2 (233 sq mi) (lagoon) 56 km² (above water) |
| Length | 69 km (42.9 mi) |
| Width | 16.5 km (10.25 mi) |
| Country | |
|
France | |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Tuamotus |
| Commune | Makemo |
| Largest settlement | Pouheva (pop. 600) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 832[1] (as of 2012) |
| Makemo | |
|---|---|
|
NASA picture of Makemo Atoll. | |
 Location of Makemo in the Tuamotu Archipelago | |
| Coordinates: 16°35′55″S 143°39′41″W / 16.5985°S 143.6613°WCoordinates: 16°35′55″S 143°39′41″W / 16.5985°S 143.6613°W | |
| Country | France |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Area | 100 km2 (40 sq mi) |
| Population (2007)1 | 1,555 |
| • Density | 16/km2 (40/sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 98726 / 98769 |
| 1 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua,[2] is one of the larger of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia.
Makemo Atoll measures 69 km in length and 16.5 km in width, giving it a land area of 56 km². It is the fourth largest atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in terms of lagoon surface, with a lagoon of 603 km² in area.[3] Despite its size, Makemo's lagoon has only two navigable passes.
Makemo Atoll has 832 inhabitants; the main village is named Pouheva with a population of 600. The village has a wharf and a boarding school of 150 children from neighbouring islands. It also hosts Makemo Airport, located to the west of Pouheva.
History
Makemo is the home of legendary Polynesian hero Moeava.
The first recorded European to arrive to Makemo Atoll was English pearl merchant John Buyers on the brig Margaret. He arrived at Makemo on 10 March 1803 on the same day he discovered Taenga and named the Makemo Atoll "Phillips Island", after a late sheriff of London, Sir Richard Phillips. In some maps Makemo appears as "Kutusov".
Makemo territorial (domestic) airport was opened in 1976.
Administration
The commune of Makemo consists of the atolls of Makemo, Haraiki, Marutea Nord, Katiu, Tuanake, Hiti, Tepoto Sud, Raroia, Takume, Taenga and Nihiru.
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Makemo lighthouse
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Makemo church
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Makemo mayor and police station
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Makemo port
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Flat reef on the east coast of Makemo
References
- ↑ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ↑ Young, J.L. (1899). "Names of the Paumotu Islands, with the old names so far as they are known.". Journal of the Polynesian Society 8 (4): 264–268. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ↑ Tuamotu Archipelago - Makemo at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Makemo. |
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