Arutua

Arutua

NASA picture of Arutua Atoll
Arutua
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	15°14′43″S 146°36′43″W / 15.24528°S 146.61194°W
Archipelago	Tuamotus
Area	484 km^2 (187 sq mi)  (lagoon) 15 km^2 (6 sq mi) (above water)
Length	31 km (19.3 mi)
Width	24 km (14.9 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision	Tuamotus
Commune	Arutua
Largest settlement	Rautini
Demographics
Population	680[1] (2012)

Arutua
Location of Arutua in the Tuamotu Archipelago
Coordinates: 15°14′43″S 146°36′44″W / 15.245236°S 146.612086°WCoordinates: 15°14′43″S 146°36′44″W / 15.245236°S 146.612086°W
Country	France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Area	46 km^2 (18 sq mi)
Population (2012[1])^1	1,505
• Density	33/km^2 (85/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	98713 /
^1 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Arutua, or Ngaru-atua^[2] is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is located 40 km SW of Rangiroa. The closest land is Apataki Atoll, only 16 km to the East.

Arutua Atoll has a roughly pentagonal shape. Length 31 km (19 mi) , width 24 km (15 mi) . The lagoon area is 484 km² (187 sq mi) and the land area is 15 km² (6 sq mi). Its lagoon is wide and deep with one navigable passage. As of 2012, Arutua had a population of 680 inhabitants. The main village is Rautini. There is a small airport at Arutua which was opened in 1984.

Geographically Arutua belongs to the Palliser Islands (Îles Palliser) subgroup of the Tuamotus.

History

The first recorded European to visit Arutua Atoll was Jakob Roggeveen (who also first sighted Easter Island) in 1722. British mariner Frederick Beechey touched at Arutua in 1826. He named this atoll "Cockburn Island".

Administration

This atoll is the capital of the commune of Arutua, which consists of Arutua, as well as the atolls of Apataki and Kaukura.

Demographics

Island	Population (2012 census)	Area (km²)	Area of lagoon (km²)	Postcode
Apataki	350	20	706	-
Arutua	680	15	484	-
Kaukura	475	11	434	-
TOTAL	1505	46	1624	-

Table 1. Current population.

Island	2007	2012
Apataki	495	350
Arutua	725	680
Kaukura	541	475
TOTAL	1761	1505

Table 2. Population over time.

Images and maps

Image Source: Landsat S-06-15_2008  Map Source: EVS Precision Map (1:170,000)

References

1. "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
2. 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.

• Oceandots
• - & History
• Arutua Airport

External links

• Arutua Atoll FP (EVS Islands)
• Shuttle Image ISS014-E-5393 (Astronaut Photography)
• Arutua Atoll FP (Oceandots.com) at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010)
• Tuamotu Atolls List (Pacific Image)