Motutunga

Motutunga

NASA picture of Motutunga Atoll
Motutunga
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	17°04′S 144°17′W
Archipelago	Tuamotus
Area	126 km^2 (49 sq mi) (lagoon) 2.5 km^2 (0.97 sq mi) (above water)
Length	15 km (9.3 mi)
Width	14 km (8.7 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision	Tuamotus
Commune	Anaa
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited[1] (2012)

NASA picture of Motutunga Atoll.

Motutunga Atoll[2] is an uninhabited atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 17 km to the east of Tahanea Atoll.

Motutunga Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 15 km in length with a maximum width of 14 km. The reef surrounding the atoll is continuous, leaving no channels deep enough for ships to reach the lagoon. Motutunga's lagoon has a surface of 126 km^2.

History

Motutunga Atoll was first sighted by James Cook on 13 August 1773 who named it Adventure, after the name of his own ship.[2][3]

Spanish navigator Domingo de Boenechea sighted the atoll, which he called San Blas, on 9 November 1774 from ship Aguila.[4][5]

Administration

Motutunga belongs to the commune of Anaa that also includes the associated commune of Faaite with the atoll of Faaite and the uninhabited atolls of Tahanea and Motutunga.

See also

• Desert island
• List of islands

References

1. "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
2. 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.
3. Sharp, Andrew, The discovery of the Pacific Islands, Oxford 1960 p.129
4. Langdon, Robert. The lost caravel Sidney, 1975 p.129.
5. Sharp, Andrew, The discovery of the Pacific Islands, Oxford 1960 p.125

External links

• Oceandots
• Spanish voyages
• Atoll list (in French)