RÅ«rutu

Rurutu is the most northerly inhabited island in the Austral Islands in the Pacific Ocean and is located 577 km from Papeete Tahiti. Only the uninhabited atoll Maria lies even further north. Politically Rurutu part of the French overseas territory of French Polynesia, and forms its own, the same community. Rurutu was discovered in 1769 by James Cook on his first South Seas voyage.

The elongated in north-south direction island has an area of ​​22 km ² and reaches the Mont Manureva an altitude of 385 meters above the sea. In Rurutu is an Upscale atoll with a offshore reef and a lagoon completely dry.

Rurutu has also become known as a place for whale watching in recent times: Humpback whales here mate from July to October in visible proximity to the coast.

Population

The 2210 inhabitants (as of August 2007) are mainly distributed on the three villages Moerai, Hauti and Avera. 2.5 km north-east of Moerai is the island's airport (IATA: RUR, ICAO: NTAR ). Since the visit of the French President François Mitterrand in 1990, tourism has developed significantly and developed alongside agriculture and fisheries, an important source of income. The indigenous inhabitants Rurutus were unique in French Polynesia, cave dwellers. Existing and filled with concretions Caves - As homes in the upscale Coral Ring in Polynesia called Makatea served.