Maria Est
above water) | |
Length | 5.6 km (3.48 mi) |
---|---|
Width | 2.9 km (1.8 mi) |
Administration | |
France | |
Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
Administrative subdivision | Tuamotus |
Commune | Gambier Islands |
Demographics | |
Population | Uninhabited[1] (2012) |
Maria Atoll
Maria Atoll is oval in shape and bound by a continuous reef. It is 5.6 km long and 2.9 km wide. Its islands are low and flat and the lagoon is hypersaline.
This atoll is mostly called "Maria Est" in order to avoid confusion with another small atoll called
History
The first recorded European who arrived at Maria Est was Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout in 1829. On some maps, Maria Atoll appeared as "Moerenhout Island".[2]
Administration
Administratively, Maria Est belongs to the commune of the Gambier Islands.
References
- ^ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ a b 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.
External links