Takaroa
NASA picture of Takaroa Atoll
Takaroa is located in French Polynesia
Takaroa
Takaroa
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates14°27′S 144°59′W / 14.450°S 144.983°W / -14.450; -144.983
ArchipelagoTuamotus
Area93 km2 (36 sq mi)  (lagoon)
20 km2 (8 sq mi) (above water)
Length24.7 km (15.35 mi)
Width7 km (4.3 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
Administrative subdivisionÎles Tuamotu-Gambier
CommuneTakaroa
Largest settlementTeavaroa
Demographics
Population674[1] (2017)
Takaroa
Location of Takaroa
Coordinates: 14°27′00″S 144°58′59″W / 14.45°S 144.983°W / -14.45; -144.983
CountryFrance
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
SubdivisionÎles Tuamotu-Gambier
Area
1
26 km2 (10 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
1,175
 • Density45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−10:00
INSEE/Postal code
98749 /98781
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Takaroa, Taka-roa or Takapua, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It has a length of 27.4 kilometres (17.0 miles) and a width of 7 km (4 mi); its land area is 20 square kilometres (8 square miles).

The nearest land is Takapoto Atoll, located 10 kilometres (6 miles) to the southwest.

Fine pearls, including black pearls, were obtained in the lagoon of Takaroa.

Geographically Takaroa is part of the King George Islands (Iles du Roi Georges) subgroup, which includes Ahe, Manihi, Takapoto, Takaroa and Tikei.

Takaroa Atoll has 674 inhabitants (2017).[1] The main village is Teavaroa.

Takaroa is the northernmostatoll in French Polynesia.

Takaroa is located in the Tuamotu Islands.

History

The first recorded Europeans to arrive to Takaroa were Dutch explorers Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten on 14 April 1616 during their Pacific journey. They called this atoll "Sondergrond Island".

Captain Cook visited the island in 1774.[2]

Takaroa territorial airport was inaugurated in 1986.

Geography

Climate

Takaroa has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). The average annual temperature in Takaroa is 27.9 °C (82.2 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,528.6 mm (60.18 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in March, at around 28.8 °C (83.8 °F), and lowest in August, at around 26.7 °C (80.1 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Takaroa was 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) on 20 January 1998; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 19.5 °C (67.1 °F) on 10 January 1976.

Climate data for Takaroa (1991–2020 averages, extremes 1951−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.6
(96.1)		 35.3
(95.5)		 35.0
(95.0)		 33.5
(92.3)		 33.8
(92.8)		 33.3
(91.9)		 31.6
(88.9)		 32.1
(89.8)		 31.9
(89.4)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.8
(92.8)		 35.6
(96.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.7
(87.3)		 30.8
(87.4)		 31.1
(88.0)		 31.0
(87.8)		 30.4
(86.7)		 29.5
(85.1)		 28.9
(84.0)		 28.8
(83.8)		 29.1
(84.4)		 29.7
(85.5)		 30.3
(86.5)		 30.5
(86.9)		 30.1
(86.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 28.3
(82.9)		 28.4
(83.1)		 28.8
(83.8)		 28.8
(83.8)		 28.3
(82.9)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.0
(80.6)		 26.7
(80.1)		 27.0
(80.6)		 27.4
(81.3)		 27.9
(82.2)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.9
(82.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 25.8
(78.4)		 26.0
(78.8)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.1
(79.0)		 25.5
(77.9)		 25.0
(77.0)		 24.7
(76.5)		 24.8
(76.6)		 25.1
(77.2)		 25.5
(77.9)		 25.6
(78.1)		 25.6
(78.1)
Record low °C (°F) 19.5
(67.1)		 20.9
(69.6)		 21.6
(70.9)		 21.3
(70.3)		 21.2
(70.2)		 20.2
(68.4)		 20.0
(68.0)		 20.9
(69.6)		 20.6
(69.1)		 20.3
(68.5)		 20.9
(69.6)		 20.7
(69.3)		 19.5
(67.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 197.4
(7.77)		 170.9
(6.73)		 128.6
(5.06)		 115.9
(4.56)		 109.6
(4.31)		 92.6
(3.65)		 65.1
(2.56)		 65.9
(2.59)		 83.3
(3.28)		 121.7
(4.79)		 158.5
(6.24)		 219.1
(8.63)		 1,528.6
(60.18)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 16.3 14.5 13.3 10.9 11.4 11.0 10.4 9.4 10.0 12.3 14.7 15.5 149.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours 223.4 212.9 238.5 233.9 223.5 — — — — — — 213.1 —
Source 1: Météo-France[3]
Source 2: Meteociel (sunshine 1981-2010)[4]

Administration

The commune of Takaroa consists of the islands of Takaroa, Takapoto and Tikei.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Répartition de la population en Polynésie française en 2017" [Distribution of the population in French Polynesia in 2017] (PDF). Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française (in French). 14 December 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Salmond, Anne (2010). Aphrodite's Island. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 299. ISBN 9780520261143.
  3. ↑ "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Normales et records pour Takaroa (987)". Meteociel. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Décret n°72-407 du 17 mai 1972 portant création de communes dans le territoire de la Polynésie française, Légifrance


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