Category: Austral Islands

Tupuaʻi (French: Tubuai [tubwaj]) is the main island of the Austral Island group, located 640 km (400 mi) south of Tahiti. In addition to Tubuai, the group of islands include Rimatara, Rurutu, Raivavae, Rapa and the uninhabited Îles Maria. They are part of the Austral Islands in the far southwest of French Polynesia in the south Pacific Ocean. Tubuai island sustains a population of 2,185 people on 45 km2 of land. Due to its southerly position, Tubuai has notably cooler weather than Tahiti.

The island is ringed by a lagoon formed by an encircling coral reef. A break in the reef that enables passage for ships is located on the north side of the island. Tubuai has two lava domes, with its highest point, Mt Taita’a, being 422 meters. Six or seven islets or motus lie along the reef rim that encircles the island. These were described in the late 1700s as having an abundance of toa trees (Casuarina equisetifolia), which the indigenous peoples used in house building and to make war clubs and spears due to the wood’s density.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

Rapa, also called Rapa Iti, or “Little Rapa”, to distinguish it from Easter Island, whose Polynesian name is Rapa Nui, is the largest and only inhabited island of the Bass Islands in French Polynesia. An older name for the island is Oparo. The total land area including offshore islets is 40.5 km2 (15.6 sq mi).: 205  As of the 2022 census, Rapa had a population of 451. The island’s highest point is at 650 metres (2,130 ft) elevation at Mont Perahu.: 243  Its main town is Ahuréi. The inhabitants of Rapa Iti speak their own Polynesian language called the Rapa language.

Rapa Iti is located at 27°35′00″S 144°20′00″W. It is shaped roughly like a Greek final sigma (ς), with a well-protected central bay, surrounded by a ring of relatively high mountains. The whole island appears to be the peak of a sinking volcano, with the bay as well as the caldera. The area of the main island is 38.5 km2. Little Rapa Tauturau is an offshore island.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

Rūrutu is the northernmost island in the Austral archipelago of French Polynesia, and the name of a commune consisting solely of that island. It is situated 572 km (355 mi) south of Tahiti. Its land area is 32.7 km2 (12.6 sq mi). It is 10.8 km long and 5.3 km wide. Its highest point (Manureva) is 389 m (1,276 ft). At the 2022 census it had a population of 2,163.

Geologically, Rurutu was initially formed 12 million years ago by the Macdonald hotspot, a hotspot associated with the Macdonald seamount. Over the next 10 million years, erosion shrank the island until it was almost an atoll. Then, just over a million years ago, Rurutu passed over the Arago hotspot, which lifted it roughly 150 meters. Steep sea cliffs of ancient coral lifted by the event—called makatea—now largely encircle the island. These are riddled with caves filled with concretions—indeed, Rurutu is largely unique among islands in French Polynesia in that its historic inhabitants were cave-dwelling.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

Rimatara is the westernmost inhabited island in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. It is located 550 km (340 mi) south of Tahiti and 150 km (93 mi) west of Rurutu. The land area of Rimatara is 8.6 km2 (3.3 sq mi), and that of the Maria islets is 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi). Its highest point is 106 m (348 ft). Its population was 893 at the 2022 census.

Rimatara is a circular volcanic plateau surrounded by a reef with a height of 8 to 10 m (26 to 33 ft). The main villages are Amaru (the capital), Anapoto and Mutuaura.

Rimatara was one of the last Polynesian islands to receive European visitors. Captain Samuel Pinder Henry discovered the island in 1811. Two Tahitian missionaries from Bora Bora arrived in 1822 and established a Protestant mission. France established a protectorate in 1889 and annexed Rimatara in 1901.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)