Duke of Gloucester Islands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Duke of Gloucester Islands Location in French Polynesia | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 20°16′S 143°56′W / 20.267°S 143.933°W |
| Archipelago | Tuamotus |
| Area | 17.72 km2 (6.84 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Tuamotus |
| Commune | Hao |
| Largest settlement | Otetou |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 56[1] (2012) |
The Duke of Gloucester Islands (French: Îles du Duc de Gloucester) is a subgroup of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. They are located southeast of Tahiti and south of the main Tuamotu atoll cluster and are rather isolated.
The Duke of Gloucester Islands include four atolls of relatively small size:
Hereheretue (19°52′S 144°58′W / 19.867°S 144.967°W) is located to the northwest of the group of the other three atolls, which are located at 20°36′S 143°20′W / 20.600°S 143.333°W and are uninhabited. Hereheretue is the only permanently inhabited island of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, with 57 inhabitants in 2002.
History
First sighting recorded by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 4 February 1606. They were named Cuatro Coronas ("Four Crowns" in Spanish). Gaspar González de Leza, pilot of Fernández de Quiros, charted them as Cuatro Anegadas ("Flooded Four").[2]
They were renamed Duke of Gloucester Islands by the British explorer Philip Carteret, who visited them in 1767, in honour of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester.[3]
