Tuanake

Tuanake or Mata-rua-puna is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 24 km southwest of Makemo Atoll's westernmost point.

Tuanake Atoll is roughly semicircular in shape. It measures 9.5 km in length with a maximum width of 6.5 km. There are some narrow islands on the northern side of its reef with a total land area of about 3 km². Its lagoon is connected to the ocean by a pass located in the southern part of the ringing reef.

Tuanake is located only 6.5 km to the northwest of Hiti Atoll. The small group formed by Tuanake, Tepoto Sud and Hiti is also known as the "Raevski Atolls".

History

The first recorded European to sight Tuanake was Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1820.

Administration

Tuanake 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. Tuanake Atoll is permanently uninhabited.

Flora and fauna

The Tuamotu Reed-warbler and the Polynesian Ground Dove are found in this atoll.

References

* [http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/tuamotu/tuanake.htm]
* [http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/french_polynesia/map/m1898499/tuanake.html ]
* [http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_8_1899/Volume_8,_No._4,_December_1899/Names_of_the_Paumotu_Islands,_by_J.L._Young,_p_264-268?action=null Atoll names]
* [http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0006320701001124 Tuamotu reed-warbler]
* [http://www.notornis.org.nz/free_issues/Notornis_40-1993/Notornis_40_2_128.pdf Polynesian Ground Dove]

External links

* [http://www.pacific-image.pf/pages/boutic/dboutic_cdrom_sp132.html Atoll list (in French)]