 NASA picture of Maria Est Atoll | |
  Maria Est | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 22°01′S136°11′W / 22.017°S 136.183°W /-22.017; -136.183 |
| Archipelago | Tuamotus |
| Area | 7 km2 (2.7 sq mi) (lagoon) 3.75 km2 (1 sq mi) (above water) |
| Length | 5.6 km (3.48 mi) |
| Width | 2.9 km (1.8 mi) |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Îles Tuamotu-Gambier |
| Commune | Gambier |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited[1] (2012) |
Maria Atoll[2] is an uninhabited smallatoll of theTuamotu group inFrench Polynesia. It is located in the far southeast of thearchipelago, about 72 km (45 mi) southwest fromMarutea Sud. Maria's closest neighbour is the small atoll ofMatureivavao of theActeon Group, 56 km (35 mi) to the northwest.
Maria Atoll is oval in shape and bound by a continuousreef. It is 5.6 km long and 2.9 km wide. Its islands are low and flat and the lagoon ishypersaline.
This atoll is mostly called "Maria Est" in order to avoid confusion with another small atoll calledMaria (Nororotu) in theTubuai (Austral Islands) division of French Polynesia.
The first recorded European who arrived at Maria Est wasJacques-Antoine Moerenhout [fr] in 1829. On some maps, Maria Atoll appeared as "Moerenhout Island".[2]
Administratively, Maria Est belongs to the commune of theGambier Islands.
 | ThisFrench Polynesia-related geography article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
