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21 Aug, 2019
By, Wikipedia

Manihi

Manihi, or Paeua, is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, part of French Polynesia. It is one of the northernmost of the Tuamotus, located in the King George subgroup. The closest land to Manihi is Ahe Atoll, located 14 km to the west. The population is 648 inhabitants (2022 census).

Geography

Manihi is a relatively large elongated atoll. Its oval-shaped lagoon measures 27 km in length and 8 km in width, and is ringed by innumerable islets. The lagoon is well-known among snorkelers for its beautiful and diverse marine fauna, including, among other species, the manta ray. There is only one pass to enter the lagoon, located close to the atoll's southern end. It is known as Passe de Tairapa. 14°27′31″S 146°03′40″W / 14.4585°S 146.0610°W / -14.4585; -146.0610

The chief village is Paeua. Another important village, Turipaoa, is located in the south-western part of the atoll, and is home to about 400 inhabitants. Several of the islands are inhabited, by populations ranging from single individuals to as many as 400.

Demographics

Change in population of Manihi atoll.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1977	192	—
1983	313	+63.0%
1988	429	+37.1%
1996	769	+79.3%

Year	Pop.	±%
2002	789	+2.6%
2007	816	+3.4%
2012	685	−16.1%

Sources ISPF, Mairie de Manihi
* : estimation

History

There are two ancient Polynesian ceremonial platforms constructed of blocks of coral (marae in Tuamotuan) on Manihi. The first recorded Europeans to arrive to Manihi were Dutch explorers Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten on their 1615–1616 Pacific journey. They called this atoll "Waterland Island". British explorer John Byron, who reached Manihi in June 1765, called the atoll "Prince of Wales Island".

Economy

Manihi Atoll is today home to a great number of pearl farms, and was the site of French Polynesia's first black pearl farm.

There was a five star resort on Manihi, called the Pearl Beach Manihi resort, which has overwater bungalows in the lagoon. This resort closed in late 2012.

There is one airfield on the atoll, inaugurated in 1994: Manihi Airport. It is located close to Turipaoa and is served by the local airline Air Tahiti.

Administration

The commune of Manihi consists of the island Manihi and Ahe, that are both associated communes. The seat of the commune is the village Paeua. The current mayor of the commune is John Drollet.

References

^ "Les résultats du recensement de la population 2022 de Polynésie française" [Results of the 2022 population census of French Polynesia] (PDF) (in French). Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. January 2023.
^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
^ 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. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
^ ISPF, Démographie Archived 2014-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
^ Mairie de Manihi,
^ "Discovery & Discoverers of French Oceania". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. IX, no. 7. 15 February 1939. p. 32. Retrieved 9 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Manihi". Tahiti.com. Retrieved 9 August 2021. Tahiti's first traditional pearl farms originated in Manihi, and many are still in operation today
^ Décret n°72-407 du 17 mai 1972 portant création de communes dans le territoire de la Polynésie française, Légifrance
^ "Emmanuel Macron is welcomed with garlands of flowers and seashells on Manihi Island". EuroNews. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.