Vahitahi

Vahitahi, or "Vaitake", is an atoll in the eastern area of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. Vahitahi's nearest neighbor is Akiaki, which is located 41 km to the northwest.

Vahitahi is a small atoll with an elongated oval shape. It measures approximately 10 km in length and has a maximum width of 4.5 km. Its reef encloses completely the lagoon. The total land area of the islands on its reef is 2,5 km².

The main village is called Mohitu (formerly Temanufaara). There were 103 habitants according to the 2002 census.

History

Vahitahi Atoll was the first land that Louis Antoine de Bougainville found in the Pacific in 1768. He called the atoll "Les Quatre Facardins", after a novel of the time. James Cook reached Vahitahi the following year and named it "Lagoon Island".

Vahitahi has a territorial airport. It was inaugurated in 1986.

Administration

Administratively Vahitahi Atoll belongs to the commune of Nukutavake.

References

* [http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/tuamotu/vahitahi.htm]
* [http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByAirport.do?airportCode=VHZ&airportQueryDate=2008-01... Vahitahi Airport]
* [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]

External links

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