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Concept
Tuamotus
Summary
The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (Îles Tuamotu, officially Archipel des Tuamotu) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to southeast) over an area roughly the size of Western Europe. Their combined land area is . This archipelago's major islands are Anaa, Fakarava, Hao and Makemo.
The Tuamotus have approximately 16,000 inhabitants. The islands have the shape of a dolphin and were initially settled by Polynesians, and modern Tuamotuans have inherited from them a shared culture and the Tuamotuan language.
The Tuamotus are a French overseas collectivity.
The early history of the Tuamotu islands is generally unknown. Archaeological findings suggest that the western Tuamotus were settled from the Society Islands as early as 900 CE or as late as 1200 CE. DNA evidence suggests that they were settled about 1110 CE. On the islands of Rangiroa, Manihi and Mataiva, there are flat ceremonial platforms (called marae) made of coral blocks, although their exact age is unknown.
The first known European encounter with the Tuamotus was with the Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan, during his circumglobal voyage in 1521, undertaken in the service of the Spanish Crown. His encounter was followed by visits from several other Europeans, including:
Portuguese sailor Pedro Fernandes de Queirós in 1606, sailing in the service of the Spanish Crown;
Dutch mariners Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616;
Jacob Roggeveen (who also first sighted Easter Island) in 1722;
John Byron in 1765;
Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1768;
James Cook during his first voyage in 1769;
Spanish navigator Domingo de Bonechea in 1774 and
Russian expedition of Otto von Kotzebue in 1815.
None of these visits were of political consequence, as the islands were within the sphere of influence of the Pōmare Dynasty of Tahiti.
The first Christian missionaries arrived in the islands at the beginning of the 19th century.
Official source
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