Puka-Puka

Template: Infobox Atoll / Maintenance / height Missing

Puka Puka is an inhabited atoll in the South Pacific Tuamotu Archipelago and belongs politically to French Polynesia. The island is relatively isolated in the northeast of the archipelago and is geographically occasionally to the Îles du désappointement (islands of disappointment ), a subgroup of the Tuamotus counted.

Geography

The almost oval atoll measures 5.7 km by 3 km and consists of 17 islets ( motu ) with 4 km ² of land area, which enclose a shallow 2.2 km ² lagoon. The water exchange between the ocean and the lagoon via a plurality of flat flow channels ( Hoa ), there are no navigable connection with boats.

The landscape is now dominated by the vast coconut plantations, from the original flora is almost nothing remains.

Views

For drying copra designed

Political, administrative and infrastructure

Politically, Puka Puka - one of the 17 municipalities ( Communes of the Tuamotu Gambier ) of subdivision Tuamotu - Gambier ( administrative subdivision of the Tuamotu - Gambier ) in French Polynesia and has 167 inhabitants (2012 ). The INSEE code is 98737 of the municipality, postal code 98774th

The only village is Teonemahina ( alternate spelling: Tehonemahina ) in the west of the atoll. In the north, a 930 m long is paved runway ( ICAO code: NTGB ) which is served in a prop from Tahiti.

Puka Puka has no harbor, only a pier for ocean side, which can however be used because of the narrow and dangerous Riffpassage only by small boats. The residents are self-catering. Major food crops are coconut, yams, taro, sweet potatoes and tropical fruits. However, the main food is fish supplemented with chicken and the flesh of all free-roaming pigs. Puka Puka - is rarely visited by tourists, a tourist infrastructure is completely lacking.

History

Puka Puka is probably with the island " San Pablo " identical, the Ferdinand Magellan arrived on 24 January 1521. After the Logbook of Francisco Albo, the navigator of Victoria, the uninhabited island was lined with trees and full of birds.

The Dutch navigators Schouten and Le Maire reached the atoll on 10 April 1616 and christened it " Honden Eylandt " ( Dog Island), because they found the only residents of three feral dogs.

The Beagle with Charles Darwin happened under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy, the atoll on November 9, 1835 her second trip (December 27, 1831 - October 2, 1836 ):

" On the 9th we saw Honden Iceland, one of the low coral formations, only a few feet above the lake, densely covered by coconut trees. "

The first detailed map was during the United States Exploring Expedition (U.S. Ex Ex ) drawn up in 1842 under the command of Charles Wilkes of the Pacific Ocean and the Antarctic region explored on behalf of the United States Navy from 1838. The scientists of the U.S. Ex Ex landed on 19 August 1839 Puka Puka - and explored the island and a half days. You fell warm and - very salty waters of the shallow lagoon - in comparison to the ocean. The low vegetation they described as mainly from Pandanus, Pisonia and Boerhavia consisting. They saw no coconut trees on the island. From residents they found no trace:

" We could not find on this island no evidence of residents. The condition of the bird population and other evidence proved that it had not been inhabited at least for a longer period of time. "

However, at the beach, some sailors were broken rudder and parts of a boat, they could not place.

In the early twentieth century, the missionaries Henry Bodin and Herve Audran the " Congregation of the Sacrés - Cœurs de Picpus " could ( in Germany: Arnstein Fathers ) part of the population of Fakahina move to resettle on the uninhabited Puka - Puka to there coconut trees for to plant the then very lucrative Kopraproduktion. The floors were - rich in nutrients through the centuries- long accumulations of guano and offered the best conditions for the plantations - in relation to other islands of the Tuamotus.

Natural disasters

Puka Puka - 1958 was hit by a typhoon that surprised much of the male population engaged in fishing and killed. The Men deficit that occurred then was a few years later offset by immigrants and applicants from other, partly populated islands.

Puka Puka - earned at that time a reputation as a lively marriage market, which continues until today and many men, but also women wanting to get married, attracts, although the men's deficit has long been balanced.

In 1996 the settlement was again almost completely destroyed by a typhoon. Only with the financial support from France, the buildings were rebuilt. On the outskirts of Teonemahina you have a concrete stilts standing, massive building erected, in which the residents can take refuge during natural disasters.

Sources

Atoll
Archipelago ( French Polynesia)
Archipelago (Pacific ocean )
Island Group ( Australia and Oceania)
Archipelago ( Tuamotu Islands)

NASA Postal codes in France International Civil Aviation Organization Victoria (ship) Willem Schouten Jacob Le Maire HMS Beagle Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Marutea Nord Morane (French Polynesia) Niau Pinaki (French Polynesia) Tepoto (North) Tepoto (South)

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