Manihi

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Manihi
NASA image of Manihi
NASA image of Manihi
Waters Pacific Ocean
archipelago Tuamotu Archipelago
Geographical location 14 ° 26 ′  S , 146 ° 4 ′  W Coordinates: 14 ° 26 ′  S , 146 ° 4 ′  W
Manihi (French Polynesia)
Manihi
Main island Paeua
Land area 13 km²
Lagoon area 160 km²
Residents 789 (2007)
Map of Manihi
Map of Manihi
Template: Infobox Atoll / Maintenance / HoeheFehlt

Manihi (other Polynesian names: Mani, Manuhi, Paeua ; old names: Waterlandt , Prince of Wales Island ) is a shallow coral atoll in the northwest group of the Tuamotu Archipelago in the South Pacific . Geographically, the atoll belongs to the subgroup of the King George Islands ( Îles du Roi Georges ). The next inhabited island is Ahe , 14 km to the west.

geography

Manihi and the neighboring island of Ahe are located on the 2,760 m high "Ahe Seamount", which arose from a hot spot on the Pacific plate . The submarine mountain has sunk through tectonic processes and no longer protrudes above sea level. All that remains of the atoll is the dense ring of over 100 coral islets ( motus ), which together have a land area of ​​almost 13 km². There are several coral reefs in the 160 km², oval lagoon, which is up to 100 m deep . The only navigable passage to the Pacific Ocean, Passe Tairapa, is located in the southwest and is up to 60 m deep. Here are stony corals of the genus Leptoris and Pachyseris frequently. Sea turtles visit the beach in the northeast of the island to lay their eggs. Today the area is under nature protection.

Politics and administration

Politically, the island belongs to the French Overseas Zealand ( Pays d'outre-mer - POM) French Polynesia and is therefore affiliated to the EU. It is administered by a subdivision ( Subdivision administrative des Îles Tuamotu-Gambier ) of the High Commission of French Polynesia ( Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française ) based in Papeete . Together with the neighboring Ahe, the island forms the political municipality of Manihi ( Commune de Manihi ) with a total of 1,240 inhabitants, 685 of which are Manihi itself. The official language is French. The currency is (still) the CFP franc, which is linked to the euro . The only place is Turiopaoa in the southwest with about 400 inhabitants. There are scattered settlements on some of the other motus, which are densely overgrown with coconut palms and other tropical vegetation, especially in the south and west of the ring.

Infrastructure

On the Motu Tihohora, north of the flow channel, is the Manihi airfield ( ICAO-ID : NTGI), which was only opened in 1994 , is no more than a 930 m long asphalt runway that is only served by small Air Tahiti aircraft. On the same motu is also the z. Currently the only hotel complex on the island, Pearl Beach Manihi Resort. Otherwise the infrastructure is only slightly adapted to the needs of tourism. There is a post office (with satellite telephone) and a few small shops with limited supply, but there are no restaurants, bars and a bank. The atoll is known by divers for its rich and interesting underwater fauna, including numerous manta rays and eagle rays , sea turtles, barracudas, and gray and hammerhead sharks .

Manihi was known as the source of mother- of- pearl in the 19th century and is considered to be the origin of black pearl cultivation in Polynesia, today the island's economic mainstay. Several floating pearl farms are anchored in the lagoon.

history

In the north of the island ring, on the Motu Tokivera, and in the south, on the Motu Kamoka, there are ceremonial platforms ( marae ) of the Polynesian natives made of coral blocks . The age of the complex is not known, as the Tuamotu Islands have hardly been explored archaeologically.

The Dutch Willem Cornelisz Schouten and Jacob Le Maire were the first Europeans to reach Eendracht and Hoorn Manihi with their ships in 1616 . They named the island "Waterlandt". Le Maire reports that they reached Manihi in heavy rain. They could replenish their water, and the cress- like plants that the crew found on the island were used to make a large kettle full of soup. Le Maire does not make any statements about the residents.

During his circumnavigation with the ships Dolphin and Tamar , the British explorer John Byron reached Manihi on June 7, 1765. He named the island " Prince of Wales Island" after the later King George IV . The ships went along the south coast. It appeared to be densely populated, but Byron did not head for the island because of the strong surf and numerous reefs.

The Belgian diplomat, traveling salesman and travel writer Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout drove his schooner Volador to Manihi in 1829 to dive Polynesians hired in Tahiti for pearls in the lagoon. He writes that the island only has half a dozen coconut trees. Three men, two women and a little boy are the only residents.

The ships Vincennes and Peacock of the United States Exploring Expedition reached Manihi on September 6, 1839. Commander Charles Wilkes sent out boats with scientists and naval officers who spent several hours exploring the west side of the island and collecting samples. There was also friendly contact with the Polynesian residents. One of the Peacock's sailors took the opportunity to desert.

The Whitney South Sea Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History , whose primary objective was to collect bird specimens at various Pacific islands, visited Manihi and other neighboring atolls in February-March 1923. The scientists collected botanical specimens and registered occurring coral species as well as the rest Fauna of the reefs.

Picture gallery

  • Manihi, lagoon and motus

  • Houses in Turipaoa

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://earthref.org/cgi-bin/er.cgi?s=sc.cgi?id=SMNT-144S-1461W
  2. ↑ Décret n ° 2012-1068 from September 18, 2012 définissant les lignes de base à partir desquelles est mesurée la largeur de la mer territoriale française adjacente à la Polynésie française
  3. ^ Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) - Recensement de la population 2012
  4. ↑ JAJ de Villiers: Being an Account of Joris Soeilbergen's Voyage Round the World (1614-1617), and the Australian navigations of Jacob Le Maire, The East and West Indian Mirror, Second Series, no. 18, London 1906
  5. ^ John Marshall: Royal Naval Biography, Volume 2, London 1824
  6. ^ John Hawkesworth: An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere , Volume 1, London 1773, p. 143
  7. ↑ Arthur R. Borden: Travels to the Islands of the Pacific Ocean , Lanham (MD) 1993 (English translation by Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout: Voyages aux îles du Grand Océan ), pp. 100-101
  8. ^ Charles Wilkes: Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 by Charles Wilkes, USN, Philadelphia 1845, Volume 1, pp. 349-350

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