Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

PAUMOTU, TUAMOTU

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 966 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

PAUMOTU, TUAMOTU , Or See also:LOW See also:ARCHIPELAGO, a broad See also:belt of 78 atolls in the Pacific Ocean, belonging to See also:France, between 14° and 24° S., and 131° and 149° W. They trend in irregular lines in a See also:north-See also:west and See also:south-west direction, the See also:major See also:axis of the See also:group extending over 1300 M. The largest See also:atoll, Rangiroa, with a See also:lagoon 45 M. See also:long by 15 wide, is made up of twenty islets. Fakarava, the next in See also:size, consists of fifteen islets, and its oblong lagoon affords the best anchorage in the group. Hau has fifty islets, and its lagoon is dangerously studded with See also:coral.. The symmetrically placed eleven islets of Anaa suggested to See also:Captain See also:Cook the name of See also:Chain See also:Island. Heavy storms sometimes greatly alter the See also:form of the atolls. The first See also:discovery of See also:part of the archipelago was made by the Spaniard Pedro See also:Fernandez Quiros in 16o6. Many navigators subsequently discovered or rediscovered various parts of the group—among them may be mentioned See also:Jacob Lemaire ane Willem Schouten (1616), See also:John See also:Byron (1765), See also:Philip See also:Carteret (1767), See also:Louis See also:Antoine de See also:Bougainville (1768), Captain See also:James Cook (1769), See also:Lieutenant See also:Bligh (1792), Captain See also:Wilson of the " See also:Duff " (1797), See also:Otto von See also:Kotzebue (1815 See also:mid 1824), See also:Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (1819-1820) and See also:Charles Wilkes (1839) who made a detailed survey of the islands. As a result almost all the islands See also:bear alternative names. The See also:dates given are those of first discovery. In the north-west part of the chain are Rangiroa (Vliegen, Deans or Nairsa, this part of the group bearing the name of the Palliser Islands); Fakarava (Witgenstein, 1819), the seat of the See also:French-See also:resident; Anaa (Chain, 1769), Makemo (Makima, See also:Phillips, See also:Kutusov, 1803), Hau (Hao, See also:Harp, See also:Bow, 1768).

North and See also:

east of these are Manihi (Oahe, Waterlandt, 1616), Tikei (Romanzov, 1815), the Disappointment group (1765) of which Napuka is the See also:chief island, Pukapuka (Henuake, Honden, See also:Dog, 1616), Raroia (See also:Barclay de TolIy, 1820), Angatau (Ahangatu, Arakchev, 1820), Akahaina (Fakaina, Predpriatie, 1824), Tatakoto (See also:Narcissus, See also:Egmont, See also:Clerke, 1774), Pukaruha (Serle, 1797). In the See also:southern part of the archipelago are Hereheretui (Bligh, Santablo, 1606), the See also:Duke of See also:Gloucester group (.1767), Tematangi (Bligh Lagoon, 1792), Maruroa (Braburgh, See also:Matilda, 1767), the See also:Actaeon Cr See also:Amphitrite group (discovered by the Tahitian trading See also:vessel "Amphitrite" in 1833), Marutea (See also:Lord See also:Hood, 1791), and the See also:Gambier or Mangareva group (1797), of which Mangareva (Gambier, Peard) is the chief member. To the south again are: See also:Pitcairn (q.v.), Ducie, and a few other islets, which are See also:British and do not properly belong to the Paumotu Archipelago. The Gambier Islands are a cluster of four larger and many smaller volcanic islets, enclosed in one wide See also:reef. The wooded crags of Mangareva, the largest islet, 5 m. in length, rise to a height of 1315 ft. and are covered with a See also:rich vegetation, quite Tahitian in See also:character; but, as in the other Paumotus, there is a dearth of See also:animal See also:life. The See also:climate of the islands is healthy, and they have a See also:lower mean temperature than See also:Tahiti. The easterly See also:trade winds prevail. See also:Rain and fogs occur even during the dry See also:season. The stormy season lasts from See also:November to See also:March, when devastating hurricanes are not uncommon and a south-See also:westerly swell renders the western shores dangerous. See also:Plants and animals are scantily represented. Coco-See also:nut palms and the pandanus thrive on many of the islets, and the See also:bread-See also:fruit, See also:banana, See also:pine-See also:apple, See also:water-See also:melon and See also:yam have been introduced from Tahiti into the western islands. Mammals are represented by a few rats; among See also:land-birds parakeets, thrushes and doves are noticeable; and of See also:reptiles there are only lizards.

See also:

Insects are scarce. But the See also:sea and lagoons teem with turtle, See also:fish, molluscs, crustaceans and zoophytes. Coral is luxuriant everywhere. From the abundance of See also:pearl oysters the archipelago gets its traders' name of Pearl Islands. The Paumotus are sparsely inhabited by a See also:fine strong See also:race of Polynesians, more See also:muscular and mostly darker-skinned than that inhabiting Tahiti. In the west considerable intermixture with other races has taken See also:place. In physique, See also:language, See also:religion and customs the Gambier Islanders closely resemble the Rarotongans. The pearl See also:fisheries in the rocky and surf See also:waters are a source of See also:revenue, the pearls being sold in Tahiti. The best See also:harbour of the group is that of Fakarava, which, together with Mangareva, is open to trade. The land See also:area of the entire group is about 330 sq. m., and the See also:population is about 6000. The group passed under the See also:protection of France in 1844, and was annexed in 1881, forming part of the dependency of Tahiti.

End of Article: PAUMOTU, TUAMOTU

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
PAULUS, HEINRICH 		[next]
PAUNCEFOTE, JULIAN PAUNCEFOTE

Site © 2006 - Net Industries