Anaa
Anaa | ||
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NASA image by Anaa | ||
Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
archipelago | Tuamotu Archipelago | |
Geographical location | 17 ° 24 ′ S , 145 ° 30 ′ W | |
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Number of islands | - | |
Land area | 38 km² | |
Lagoon area | 90 km² | |
Residents | 461 (2007) | |
Location of Anaa (1) |
Anaa is an atoll in the northwest of the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia . The atoll is 250 kilometers east of Tahiti and 60 kilometers southwest of the Tahanea Atoll. Together with the northeastern Faaite , Motutunga and Tahanea atolls , Anaa forms the French-Polynesian community of the same name .
The oval-shaped, elongated atoll is about 29 kilometers long and up to seven kilometers wide. The total area of about 130 km² is largely taken up by the central lagoon ; the narrow land area of Anaa (38 km²) consists of nine larger motus and numerous smaller sandbanks.
history
The atoll became famous for its cruel warriors in the 17th century. James Cook discovered the island in 1769 and named it Chain Island because of its shape. On November 1, 1772, the atoll was also approached by Domingo de Boenechea , who gave it the name "Isla de Todos los Santos" (All Saints Island) .
In the middle of the 19th century the atoll was a center of mother-of-pearl and copra production ; almost 2000 people lived on the island. In 1852 riots broke out between North American Mormons and French Catholics , which could only be settled with the invasion of French troops.
In 1878, 1906 and 1983 the island was devastated by cyclones . After the last disaster, shelters were built for the entire population.
In 1976 an airfield was created.
Anaa is sparsely populated in the north. After the census of 2007 there lived 461 people; The main town is Tukuhora . Other places in the atoll are Temarie , Otepipi , Mania and Tematahoa which are only occasionally inhabited. Today the inhabitants go about fishing, copra production and mother-of-pearl extraction .
See also
Web links
- History (English)
- Image and short description (English) ( Memento of 23 December 2010 at the Internet Archive )
- Census 2007 (PDF, French) ( Memento from February 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive )