The first recorded European to sight the Acteon Group was
Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 5 February 1605. He described the group as
"four atolls crowned by coconut palms". On the different texts describing his voyage by other members of this Spanish expedition they were charted as "Las Cuatro Coronadas" (The four Crowned), "Las Cuatro Hermanas" (The Four Sisters), "Las Virgenes" (The Virgins) or "Las Anegadas" (The Flooded ones). The rediscovery of Acteon Group is generally credited to
Thomas Ebrill, captain of the Tahitian trading vessel
Amphitrite, who discovered these islands in 1833. However, they were sighted by Hugh Cuming on his ship Discoverer, Captain Samuel Grimwood, on 14 March 1828 [Source: Cuming's log]. They were named four years later by
Lord Edward Russell, commander of , after his vessel. In January 1983 these atolls were struck by Severe Tropical Cyclone Nano. In 1932 Tahiti's High Court recognised government ownership of the group, as well as the nearby atolls of
Maria Est,
Tematangi, and
Vanavana. In 1953 the government established two civil real estate companies to develop the atolls for the benefit of their former inhabitants and granted them exclusive use for ten years. The companies were later dissolved, leaving the ownership of the atolls uncertain. leading to protests by the descendants of the original owners. The acquisition was later challenged in court. As of January 2024 the case is still unresolved. ==Administration==