Katiu

Katiu
	NASA image by Katiu
Waters	Pacific Ocean
archipelago	Tuamotu Archipelago
Geographical location	16 ° 26 ′ S , 144 ° 22 ′ W Coordinates: 16 ° 26 ′ S , 144 ° 22 ′ W
Number of islands	-
Main island	-
Land area	27 km²
Lagoon area	208 km²
Residents	285 (2007)

Katiu , also called Taungataki , is an atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia . It is located 23.5 km west of Makemo . Katiu belongs to the municipality of Makemo which consists of the atolls Makemo, Haraiki , Marutea North , Katiu, Tuanake , Hiti , Tepoto Sud , Raroia , Takume , Taenga and Nihiru .

The oval shape of the atoll extends over a length of 27.5 km and a width of 12.5 km. The lagoon has navigable access to the sea and has an area of 208 km². The land area, however, is only 27 km². Katiu has 285 inhabitants (as of August 2007), the most important places are Hitianau and Toini .

Katiu was discovered for the Europeans in 1820 by the Baltic German Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen . He gave the atoll the name "Ost-Saken" or "Saken".

The most important branches of the economy are copra production , pearl diving and tourism. In 2001 an airfield was also created.

Individual evidence

^ Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) - Recensement de la population 2007 ( Memento of February 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF, French)

[1] Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) - Recensement de la population 2007 ( Memento of February 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF, French)