Hereheretue

Hereheretue or Hiri-oro[2] is an atoll in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. It is the northernmost island of the Duke of Gloucester Islands group, or Îles du Duc de Gloucester, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Hereheretue's nearest neighbour is Anuanuraro, which is located about 150 km away. It lies 450 km southwest of Hao and 488 km southeast of Tahiti.

Hereheretue
NASA picture of Hereheretue Atoll
Hereheretue is located in French Polynesia
Hereheretue
Hereheretue
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates19°52′20″S 144°57′46″W
ArchipelagoTuamotus
Area23 km2 (8.9 sq mi)  (lagoon)
4 km2 (2 sq mi) (above water)
Length9 km (5.6 mi)
Width7 km (4.3 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
Administrative subdivisionÎles Tuamotu-Gambier
CommuneHao
Largest settlementOtetou
Demographics
Population56[1] (2012)
Map of Hereheretue Atoll

Hereheretue Atoll has a roughly trapezoidal shape. Its lagoon is quite deep and has an area of 23 km2. The broad reef completely encloses the lagoon, so that there is no navigable passage to enter it.

Hereheretue is the only permanently inhabited atoll of the group. It had a population of 56 at the 2012 census. Most of the population lives in the main village Otetou.

History

The first recorded sighting by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 4 February 1606. With the other three atolls of the Duke of Gloucester Islands they were named Cuatro Coronas (Four Crowns in Spanish).[3]

Administration

Administratively the four atolls of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, including Anuanuraro, Anuanurunga and Nukutepipi, belong to the commune of Hereheretue, which is associated with the Hao commune.

There is a meteorological station on Hereheretue.

References
  1. "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 26 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.
  3. Burney, James A chronological history of the discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean London, 1803, vII, p.326.



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