Moruroa

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Mururoa (actually Mururoa, in the local language about " big secret ") is an approximately 300 square kilometers of uninhabited atoll in the South Pacific, which became known as nuclear weapons test site in France since 1966.

Location

Mururoa is located in the southeastern part of the Tuamotu Archipelago, which belongs to French Polynesia. Mururoa belongs to the municipality Tureia. The atoll was discovered in 1767 by Philip Carteret on HMS Swallow in Europe and originally called " Bishop of Osnaburgh Iceland ".

Nuclear tests

From 1966 to 1996 a total of 188 nuclear bombs were detonated at the Mururoa, including 41 in the atmosphere and 147 underground. The first above-ground nuclear test took place on 2 July 1966.

On September 7, 1995, a further, despite international protests started, test series in France led to serious riots in Tahiti. After worldwide protests, the explosions are now simulated on the computer. In 2000, the French withdrew from the atoll. To date, Mururoa is a restricted area. In about 140 boreholes there store large quantities of radioactive waste.