Katiu

Katiu
	Katiu
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	16°25′S 144°22′W / 16.417°S 144.367°W
Archipelago	Tuamotus
Area	232.5 km2 (89.8 sq mi)
Length	27 km (16.8 mi)
Width	12.5 km (7.77 mi)
Administration
	France
Demographics
Population	250

Katiu, or Taungataki,^[2] is an atoll of the central Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 23.5 kilometres (14.6 miles) west of Makemo Atoll's westernmost point.

Katiu Atoll is roughly oval in shape. It measures 27 kilometres (17 miles) in length with a maximum width of 12.5 kilometres (7.8 miles). Its total area, including the lagoon is 232.5 square kilometres (89.8 square miles) and a land area of approximately 10 square kilometres (4 square miles). There are many narrow islands on the north-eastern side of its long reef with a total land area of about 3 square kilometres (1 square mile). Its lagoon is connected to the ocean.

Katiu has a population of 250 inhabitants. The main occupations are fishing, copra harvesting and pearl farming. The most important village is called Toini; it is located on one of the long islands of the northeastern reef.^[3]

History

The first recorded European to arrive to Katiu was Russian oceanic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1820 on ships Vostok and Mirni. He named this atoll "Osten-Saken" or "Saken".^[4]

There is a territorial (domestic) airfield in Katiu which was inaugurated in 2001.^[3]

Administration

Katiu belongs to the commune of Makemo, which consists of the atolls of Makemo, Haraiki, Marutea Nord, Katiu, Tuanake, Hiti, Tepoto Sud, Raroia, Takume, Taenga and Nihiru.

References

^ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
^ Young, J.L. (1899). "Names of the Paumotu Islands, with the old names so far as they are known". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 8 (4): 264–268. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Oceandots - Katiu". Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved 2009-03-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ NZETC - Bellingshausen

Oceania

External links

Atoll list (in French)

This French Polynesia-related geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 2 October 2014.

[Alternative_Names-2] Young, J.L. (1899). "Names of the Paumotu Islands, with the old names so far as they are known". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 8 (4): 264–268. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

[oceandots.com-3] "Oceandots - Katiu". Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved 2009-03-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[4] NZETC - Bellingshausen

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]