TheTuamotu Archipelago[2][3] or theTuamotu Islands[4][5] (French:Îles Tuamotu,[6][7] officiallyArchipel des Tuamotu) are aFrench Polynesian chain of just under 80islands andatolls in the southernPacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to southeast) over an area roughly the size ofWestern Europe. Their combined land area is 850 square kilometres (328 square miles). Thisarchipelago's major islands areRangiroa,Anaa,Fakarava,Hao andMakemo.
The Tuamotus have approximately 16,000 inhabitants. The islands were initially settled byPolynesians, and modern Tuamotuans have inherited from them a sharedculture and theTuamotuan language.
The early history of the Tuamotu islands is generally unknown. Archaeological findings suggest that the western Tuamotus were settled from theSociety Islands as early as 900 CE or as late as 1200 CE.[8] DNA evidence suggests that they were settled about 1110 CE.[9] On the islands ofRangiroa,Manihi andMataiva, there are flat ceremonial platforms (calledmarae) made of coral blocks, although their exact age is unknown.
The first known European encounter with the Tuamotus was with the Portuguese sailorFerdinand Magellan, during hiscircumglobal voyage in 1521. His encounter was followed by visits from several other Europeans, including:
None of these visits were of political consequence, as the islands were within the sphere of influence of thePōmare Dynasty ofTahiti.
The first Christianmissionaries arrived in the islands at the beginning of the 19th century. By the late 19th century, traders had begun offeringpearls from the islands for sale in Europe, and they became coveted possessions there. France forced the abdication of KingPōmare V of Tahiti and claimed the islands, but did not formally annex them.
Robert Louis Stevenson andFanny Stevenson travelled among the Tuamotus (then called the Paumotus) on the yachtCasco in 1888; an account of their journey was published asIn the South Seas.[11]Jack London wrote a story, "The Seed of McCoy", based on an incident in 1900 in which a burning ship, thePyrenees, had been safely beached onMangareva. In the story, London has the ship sail past Mangareva and all through the Tuamotus before beaching onFakarava.[12]
The Tuamotus made headlines around the world in 1947, when the Norwegian ethnographerThor Heyerdahl, sailing from South America with a crew of five others, reachedRaroia on his raftKon-Tiki. The islands were in the news again somewhat later, when France conductednuclear weapons testing on the atolls ofMoruroa andFangataufa.
Satellite image of TuamotusPearl farm in the Tuamotus
The communes on Tuamotu are part of two different electoral districts (circonscriptions électorales) represented in theAssembly of French Polynesia. The electoral district calledÎles Gambier et Tuamotu Est comprises the commune of Gambier and eleven communes in eastern Tuamotu: Anaa, Fangatau, Hao, Hikueru, Makemo, Napuka, Nukutavake, Pukapuka, Reao, Tatakoto, and Tureia. The other five communes in western Tuamotu – Arutua, Fakarava, Manihi, Rangiroa, and Takaroa – form the electoral district calledÎles Tuamotu Ouest.
Despite the vast spread of the archipelago, it covers a total land area of only about 885 square kilometres (342 sq mi). The climate is awarm tropical one, without sharply distinct seasons. The average annual temperature is a relatively continuous 26 °C (79 °F). Water sources such as lakes or rivers are absent, leaving catchments of rain as the only source of fresh water. The annual average rainfall is 1,400 millimetres (55 in). Although average rainfall is lowest in September and November, it does not vary markedly throughout the year.
The archipelago is geologically highly stable, because it was created by the action of theEaster fracture zone, which is only weakly active. There have been no volcanic eruptions during recorded history.
The sparse soil of the coral islands does not support diverse vegetation. Thecoconut palm, which is the basis ofcopra production, is of special economic importance. On a few of the islands,vanilla is also cultivated. Agriculture is generally otherwise limited to simple subsistence. Fruit and vegetable staples includeyams,taro,breadfruit, and a wide range of tropical fruit.Pandanus leaves are traditionally woven together to make mats, hats, and roofthatches. However, many of the roofs nowadays are made of corrugated sheet-metal. There are also mangrove forests in sheltered areas, though its less common around coral atolls.
The ring-shaped atollTaiaro, which lies in the northwestern portion of the archipelago, is a rare example of a coral reef that has a fully enclosed lagoon. Taiaro has been officially designated aUNESCObiosphere reserve since 1977.[14]
A little more than fifty atolls are permanently populated; the rest are occupied only sporadically, during the copra harvesting season or as a base for fishing expeditions. The population has grown in the last years due to the fishing boom in the northern part and the extraction of pearls, especially black pearls, in the west and in the center. In any case, most of the inhabitants practice subsistence agriculture.
In the 2007 census, there were 15,510 inhabitants in the Tuamotu Islands, a population density of 18inhabitants/km2. The population was 14,876 in 2002 and 8,100 in 1983. In 2002, 769 inhabitants lived within 400 km of the islands of Moruroa and Fangataufa (former nuclear test base).
Our Lady of Peace Church (Église Notre-Dame-de-Paix de Tiputa), Rangiroa
The official language of the archipelago isFrench. However, theTuamotu language, Pa'umotu, is recognized as a regional language of the French Republic. In the Gambier Islands,Mangarevan is spoken, while in Puka Puka a Marquesan dialect is used.
The majority of the population is Christian, including members of the Catholic Church and various Protestant groups. The Catholic Church administers 42 churches[15] on the islands under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Papeete.[15]
In 1833, theCatholic Church divided the Pacific into twoapostolic vicariates: Western Oceania fell to the Marists and Eastern Oceania-which included the Tuamots, Hawaii, Tahiti, the Marquesas and the Cook Islands-was the responsibility of the Picpus missionaries. In 1834, the French Fathers Honoré Laval and François d'Assise Caret arrived in Mangareva.
First with the acquiescence and then with the active support of the island chiefs, the Picpusians embarked on an extensive development program for the Gambier Islands. This included the introduction of cotton cultivation, pearl and mother-of-pearl fishing, and the establishment of plantations and orchards. As they were very successful, their missionary activities gradually spread to the other islands of the Tuamotu archipelago. With the missionary work, news of the islands' wealth in pearls also reached Europe, making them a coveted destination for European traders and adventurers.
The islands' economy is predominantly based onsubsistence agriculture. The most important sources of additional income are the cultivation ofblack pearls and the preparation ofcopra.Tourism-related income remains meager, especially compared to the income generated by tourism in the neighboringSociety Islands. Modest tourism infrastructure is found on the atolls ofRangiroa andManihi, which offer recreationalscuba diving andsnorkeling destinations.
The inhabitants of Tuamotu produce 75% of the copra of French Polynesia. It is a subsidized family activity and the only resource of the atolls farthest from the center and east.
Fishing is a major activity in the atolls closest to Tahiti (Rangiroa, Arutua, Apataki), which supply the central market of Papeete.
^Blanvillain, C; Florent, C & V. Thenot (2002) "Land birds of Tuamotu Archipelago, Polynesia: relative abundance and changes during the 20th century with particular reference to the critically endangered Polynesian ground-dove (Gallicolumba erythroptera)".Biological Conservation103 (2): 139-149doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00112-4
