Matureivavao
Encyclopedia
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in the Acteon Group
Acteon Group
The Acteon Group is a subgroup of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is located about 1,400 km south-southeast of Tahiti and southeast of the main Tuamotu atoll cluster and is rather isolated...
in the southeastern part of the Tuamotu Islands. It is the largest atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
within the Acteon Group
Acteon Group
The Acteon Group is a subgroup of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is located about 1,400 km south-southeast of Tahiti and southeast of the main Tuamotu atoll cluster and is rather isolated...
.
Matureivavao is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long in a NNW-SSE direction and is high enough to be visible from a considerable distance. It appears as a sandy beach, backed by a line of dark green. Some buildings lie on the northwest side of the atoll. In bad weather, the seas sometimes sweep over the reef. There is no entrance to the lagoon.
History
The first recorded European to sight Matureivavao was Pedro Fernández de Quirós on February 5th 1605. He described the group as "four islands crowned by coconut palms". On the different texts describing his voyage, the islands are named "Las Cuatro Coronadas", "Las Cuatro Hermanas" or "Las Anegadas".In some maps this atoll also appears as "Melbourne".
Administration
Administratively Matureivavao Atoll, like the rest of the Acteon group, belongs to the commune of the Gambier IslandsGambier Islands
There was a time when the Gambiers hosted a population of several thousand people and traded with other island groups including the Marquesas, the Society Islands and Pitcairn Islands...
.