Tikehau

Tikehau
	LANDSAT image of the atoll (2000)
Waters	Pacific Ocean
archipelago	Tuamotu Archipelago
Geographical location	14 ° 59 ′ S , 148 ° 10 ′ W Coordinates: 14 ° 59 ′ S , 148 ° 10 ′ W
Number of islands	-
Main island	Tuherahera
length	26 km
width	23 km
Land area	2.5 km²
Lagoon area	461 km²
Residents	507 (2007)
	Map of Tikehau

Tikehau is an atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean . It is a " Commune associée " (sub-municipality) of the municipality of Rangiroa and politically belongs to French Polynesia .

Tikehau is located about 320 km north of Tahiti in the northwest of the archipelago. It has an area of about 26 by 23 km. The lagoon measures 461 km². Smaller supply ships can get to the port within the lagoon through the 150 m wide and maximum 4 m deep Passe Tuheiava on the west side .

The atoll was discovered for Europe on April 25, 1816 by Otto von Kotzebue as part of a Russian expedition. The atoll was named "Kruzenstern" after the German-Baltic Admiral Adam Johann von Krusenstern . This name is still quite familiar to today's residents.

The main island and town are called Tuherahera , located on the southern tip of the atoll. In 2007 about 507 people lived on Tikehau. The main sources of income are the state-subsidized production of copra , commercial fishing and a little tourism. There is a bakery, two small shops and a tiny snack bar. In 2001 a tiny sawmill was built with government support, in which around three to five locals find work. The breeding of black pearls, which began with a lot of enthusiasm in the 1990s, has come to a standstill. There is also a diving center , a luxury hotel and an airport with the IATA airport code TIH.