Fakarava

The Pōmare Dynasty originated here before ruling the island of Tahiti. The atoll was first mentioned by a European on 17 July 1820 by the Russian navigator Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, who gave it the name Wittgenstein Island. The atoll was evangelized by Honoré Laval, a Catholic priest, in 1849: the Rotoava church was blessed in 1850, and the Tetamanu church, dating from 1874, was built in coral. At the beginning of the 20th century, the atoll was divided into two districts: Tehatea and Tetamanu. In 2016, Fakarava became part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve created in 1977. == Geography ==

Fakarava is a rectangular atoll long and wide. It is the second largest atoll in the Tuamotu, after Rangiroa, with an area of and a lagoon of . Fakarava is located northeast of Tahiti. Its lagoon is the second largest in French Polynesia (after Rangiroa) and covers 1,121 km2. It is accessible through two passes: Garuae (to the north), the largest pass in French Polynesia ; and Tumakohua, also called Tetamanu (south). Garuae is very rich in marine fauna, with rays, manta rays, barracudas, groupers, turtles and dolphins. It is an important center of sports diving. The main village is Rotoava, located to the northeast near the Garuae Passage. In the southern pass is the village of Tetamanu, the former capital of the island and residence of the administrator of the Tuamotu during the 19th century. The total population was 806 at the 2012 census. Geology Geologically, the atoll is tall coral outgrowth from the top of a very small volcanic seamount of the same name, measuring from the seafloor, formed some 53.7–59.6 million years ago. Demography The total population was 806 inhabitants in the 2012 census, that depends on the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Papeete with headquarters in Tahiti. The church, as its name indicates, is dedicated to a Spanish mystic saint who founded the Order of the Discalced Carmelites (Ordo Fratrum Discalceatorum Beatissimae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo). ==Wildlife==

Like all the other islands in the archipelago, Fakarava has some of the most pristine and undisturbed coral reef ecosystems in the world. The south pass of Fakarava has been protected since 2008 and is now home to the highest concentration of Grey reef sharks, in the world with an estimated 700 sharks comprising the single school that inhabits the area. This is also one of the only reefs where sharks are fully protected and can be found in anything like their historical numbers. == Economy ==

Fakarava is developing a pearl farming activity – authorized on (and 50 spat collection lines) in the northeastern part of the lagoon, near Rotoava – and sea cucumber fishing in the eastern part of the lagoon for export to Asia. The atoll has an airfield with a runway long, which allows the development of tourism in all the atolls attached to the commune of Fakarava. On average, it receives about 850 flights and between 25,000 and 30,000 passengers per year, of which 20% are in transit, making it one of the busiest in French Polynesia. The landing of the Natitua submarine cable and its commissioning in December 2018 allow Fakarava to be connected to Tahiti and to global high-speed Internet. The development of tourism, with the construction of a hotel, has increased the population in recent years. In addition to tourism around diving, the economy is based on copra mining and mother-of-pearl farming. == Scientific expeditions ==

Laurent Ballesta's team has conducted two scientific expeditions in Fakarava, within the framework of the Gombessa expeditions. Gombessa 2, conducted in Fakarava in 2014, on the reproduction of marbled groupers of the species Epinephelus polyphekadion, in particular their gathering and behavior before and especially during the annual spawning of females at the exit of the Tumakohua pass (the one in the south of the lagoon) during the two full moons of June and July. Gombessa 4, conducted in 2017, is a continuation of the previous one and focuses on the unusual density of gray reef sharks (more than 700) in the same Tumakohua pass during the same period. The mission studied the social organization of sharks within a horde. ==In literature==

• • James Norman Hall describes his visit to Fakarava, and the prior visit of Captain Bligh to the atoll, in "The Tale of a Shipwreck," published 1934. ==References==