island from a plane The islands are mountainous, consisting of
volcanic rock. They are formed of
trachyte,
dolerite and
basalt. There are raised coral beds high up the mountains, and lava occurs in a variety of forms, even in solid flows. Volcanic activity ceased so long ago that the craters have been almost entirely obliterated by erosion. The Leeward Islands that lie more to the east are a mainly
volcanic island cluster: •
Bora Bora (), known for its tourism industry and
World War II-era United States naval base •
Huahine (), the easternmost island of the group; split at
high tide into the northern Huahine Nui ("big Huahine") and southern Huahine Iti ("small Huahine") •
Maupiti () •
Tupai atoll •
Raiatea ( or ), the largest island in the group, holding the archipelago's administrative center (
Uturoa) and tallest point (Mount Tefatua) •
Tahaʻa (), which lies just north of Uturoa The westernmost Leeward Islands comprise a three atoll group:
Manuae (also known as Scilly Atoll);
Motu One atoll (also known as Bellinghausen), the most northerly of the Leeward Islands; and
Maupihaa atoll (also known as Mopelia) to the southeast. ==Flora and fauna==