NASA picture of Puka Puka.

Puka-Puka Atoll has an elliptical shape. Its length is 6 km and its maximum width 3.3 km. The lagoon is filled with silt and has become very small.

The low coral islands are dry and sparsely populated, according to the 2002 census, the total population was 197. The chief town is Te One Mahina, with about 110 inhabitants.

Unlike the rest of the Tuamotus, the language of the islands, Pukapukan, is Marquesic.

Historical facts

Puka Puka was the first of the Tuamotus sighted by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

Dutch explorers Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten arrived to Puka Puka on 10th April 1616 during their Pacific journey. They called this atoll "Honden Island" ("Dog Island").

On July 30, 1947, Thor Heyerdahl and his six-man expedition aboard the raft, Kon Tiki made their first sighting of land since departing Callao, Peru when they passed by Puka Puka.

The islands were devastated by a typhoon in 1996, however, with French assistance, Te One Mahina has been rebuilt.

Puka-Puka Airport was inaugurated in 1979.

Administration

Puka-Puka is also the name of the administrative commune in which it lies, of which it is the sole atoll.

References

• http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/tuamotu/pukapuka.htm
• Puka-Puka Airport
• le Maire & Schouten

External links

• Atoll list (in French)
• Classification of the French Polynesian atolls by Salvat (1985)

See also

• Puka-Puka Airport
• French Polynesia

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