Mangaia
| Mangaia | ||
|---|---|---|
.JPG) |
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Cook Islands | |
| Geographical location | 21 ° 55 '17 " S , 157 ° 55' 23" W | |
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| length | 9.2 km | |
| width | 6.6 km | |
| surface | 51.8 km² | |
| Highest elevation | Rangi-motia 169 m |
|
| Residents | 654 (2006) 13 inhabitants / km² |
|
| main place | Oneroa | |
 |
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Mangaia , once called AʻUaʻU , which means “terraced”, is the southernmost and, with an area of 52 km², the second largest of the South Pacific Cook Islands . The island is located about 200 km southeast of Rarotonga , the main island of the archipelago.
history
The island was discovered on March 29, 1777 by the English navigator James Cook , after whom the entire archipelago is named. Since Cook was not welcomed kindly by the local Mangaeans , she was forgotten for years.
In June 1823 Mangaia was accidentally rediscovered by the English missionary John Williams while searching for the island of Rarotonga, which the islanders - unlike Cook - welcomed this time.
The island and the other Cook Islands were "placed under protection" ( Protectorate ) by England in 1888 and annexed in 1900. Today the islands are part of the Cook Islands in a free association with New Zealand .
geography
Mangaia , like Atiu and Mitiaro , is an upscale atoll of volcanic origin and is considered one of the oldest islands in the Pacific. Geological investigations date the age of the island, which consists of a volcano rising 4750 m from the seabed, to around 18 million years. The island itself rises at its highest point, the volcanic cone Rangimotia , only 169 m above the water surface and is enclosed by a ring-shaped coral reef up to 60 m high .
structure
Mangaia is divided into six districts ( puna ), and these further into 38 sub- districts ( tapere ). In the Constitution of the Cook Islands but the six districts are as tapere referred. These are shown in the following overview in clockwise order, starting in the northwest of the island:
| Tava'enga District | Karanga District | Ivirua District | Tamarua District | Veitatei District | Kei'a District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ta'iti |
Teia-roa |
Avarari |
Maru-kore |
Te-noki |
Akaoro |
The main town of the island is Oneroa in the Kei'a district .
Others
On Mangaia , which is a popular holiday destination mainly because of its caves , there are some smaller hotels. The island can be reached via a landing strip in the north by plane from the main island ( Air Rarotonga ).
In 2006 Mangaia had about 650 inhabitants.
literature
- Gill, William Wyatt : From darkness to light in Polynesia. With illustrated clan songs. London 1894. ( archive.org ); also: Suva / Fiji 1994: University of the South Pacific .
- Michael Patrick Joseph Reilly: READING INTO THE PAST: A HISTORIOGRAPHY OF MANGAIA IN THE COOK ISLANDS: A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The Australian National University, January 1991 (PDF)
Individual evidence
- ^ Rod Dixon: I uta i tai - a preliminary account of ra'ui on Mangaia, Cook Islands
- ↑ DISTRICTS AND SUBDISTRICTS | work = MANGAIAN SOCIETY, Victoria University of Wellington (accessed January 27, 2013)
- ^ Constitution Amendment (No 11) Act 1982
