Tahanea
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9.5 km2 (3.7 sq mi) (above water)
 NASA picture of Tahanea Atoll | |
  Tahanea | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°50′S 144°45′W / 16.833°S 144.750°W |
| Archipelago | Tuamotus |
| Area | 522.5 km2 (201.7 sq mi) (lagoon) 9.5 km2 (3.7 sq mi) (above water) |
| Length | 48 km (29.8 mi) |
| Width | 15.2 km (9.44 mi) |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Tuamotus |
| Commune | Anaa |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited[1] (2012) |
Tahanea Atoll is an uninhabited atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) to the east of Faaite Atoll.
Tahanea Atoll measures 48 kilometres (30 mi) in length with a maximum width of 15.2 kilometres (9.4 miles). The southern reef fringing the atoll is wider than the northern one, but the largest islands are on the narrower northern rim. Tahanea has a wide and deep lagoon with a surface area of 545 square kilometres (210 square miles). There are three deep, navigable passes into the lagoon: Motupuapua, Teavatapu, and Otao.
Tahanea is uninhabited, but visited occasionally by islanders from neighboring atolls.
The first recorded European to sight Tahanea was Spanish navigator Domingo de Boenechea on 9 November 1774 on the ship Aguila. He named this atoll "San Julián".[2][3]
Russian oceanic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen visited Tahanea in 1820 on ships Vostok and Mirni. He named this atoll "Chichagov".
