Reitoru

Atoll in French Polynesia

17°52′S 143°5′W / 17.867°S 143.083°W / -17.867; -143.083ArchipelagoTuamotusArea6 km² (2.3 sq mi) (lagoon)
1.4 km² (1 sq mi) (above water)Length5 km (3.1 mi)Width3 km (1.9 mi)Administration

France

Overseas collectivityFrench PolynesiaAdministrative subdivisionTuamotusCommuneHikueruDemographicsPopulationUninhabited^[1] (2012)

Reitoru, or Te Pirehi, is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located in center of the archipelago, 50 km southwest of Hikueru.

The inner lagoon is closed and is inaccessible from the ocean. The total surface area is 1.39 km². The island is inhabited by a small number of people who live by farming pearls and gathering copra.

History

The first recorded European who arrived to Reitoru Atoll was French Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1768. The following year, James Cook called the island "Bird Island", because the birds were the only inhabitants found.

During the 19th and 20th century, Reitoru was an important center for pearl divers. In 1903, the atoll was devastated by a cyclone, causing the death of approximately one hundred people.^[2]

Administration

Administratively Reitoru belongs to the commune of Hikueru, which consists of the atolls of Hikueru, Marokau, Ravahere, Reitoru, and Tekokota.

References

^ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
^ "Reitoru, Bird Island - South Seas Companion Place". nla.gov.au. 2004-02-01.