Tahanea

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Tahanea
NASA image of Tahanea
NASA image of Tahanea
Waters Pacific Ocean
archipelago Tuamotu Archipelago
Geographical location 16 ° 52 ′  S , 144 ° 46 ′  W Coordinates: 16 ° 52 ′  S , 144 ° 46 ′  W
Tahanea (French Polynesia)
Tahanea
Number of islands -
Main island Otao
Land area 7.7 km²
Lagoon area 523 km²
Residents uninhabited
Template: Infobox Atoll / Maintenance / HoeheFehlt

Tahanea is a large uninhabited atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia . The nearest atoll, Faaite, is 12 km east. Tahanea reaches an extent of 48 km in length with a maximum width of 15.2 km. The atoll is surrounded by reefs that are slightly wider in the south than those in the north, near the atoll. There are three easily navigable passages to the lagoon, which are called Motupuapua , Teavatapua and Otao .

Tahanea belongs administratively to the Anaa municipality .

history

The island was discovered by Domingo de Boenechea in 1774 . He named the atoll San Julián

It was also approached by the Baltic German navigator Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1820 as part of a research trip. He named the atoll Chichagov .

Today it is only the inhabitants of the neighboring islands who sometimes visit the atoll to make copra .

The South Sea Sandpiper (Prosobonia cancellata) is native to the island .

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