Ahunui

Ahunui
	NASA picture of Ahunui Atoll
	Ahunui
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	19°37′S 140°23′W / 19.617°S 140.383°WCoordinates: 19°37′S 140°23′W / 19.617°S 140.383°W
Archipelago	Tuamotus
Area	34 km2 (13 sq mi) (lagoon); 5.4 km2 (2 sq mi) (above water)
Width	6.5 km (4.04 mi)
Administration
	France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision	Tuamotus
Commune	Hao
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited (2012)

Ahunui or Nga-taumanga^[2] is a small atoll of the eastern Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 55 km SSE of Paraoa Atoll and 120 km WSW of Vairaatea.^[3]

Ahunui Atoll is roughly circular in shape and measures 6.5 km in diameter.^[3] It has a land area of approximately 5.4 km² and a lagoon area of 34 km². Its lagoon is totally encircled by the reef, so that it is not connected to the ocean by a pass. The islands have coconut plantations on them.

Ahunui Atoll is permanently uninhabited, but it is visited occasionally by neighboring islanders. The rarer (Pinctada maculata) are found in its lagoon.^[4]

History[]

The first recorded European who arrived to Ahunui Atoll was British mariner Frederick William Beechey. He named it "Byam Martin" after Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin.

Administration[]

Ahunui belongs to the commune of Hao (Main village: Otepa), which includes Ahunui (uninhabited), Nengonengo, Manuhangi (uninhabited) and Paraoa (uninhabited).^[5]

References[]

^ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 23 September 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.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Ahunui". oceandots.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
^ de:Ahunui
^ fr:Hao