Maupiti (commune)

Maupiti
Commune
Flag of Maupiti
Flag
Location of the commune (in red) within the Leeward Islands. The atolls of Maupiha'a (Mopelia), Manua'e (Scilly), and Motu One (Bellinghausen) lie outside of the map.
Location of the commune (in red) within the Leeward Islands. The atolls of Maupiha'a (Mopelia), Manua'e (Scilly), and Motu One (Bellinghausen) lie outside of the map.
Location of Maupiti
Map
Coordinates: 16°27′S 152°15′W / 16.45°S 152.25°W / -16.45; -152.25
CountryFrance
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
SubdivisionLeeward Islands
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Woullingson Raufauore[1]
Area
1
25.5 km2 (9.8 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
1,302
 • Density51/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−10:00
INSEE/Postal code
98728 /98732
Elevation0–380 m (0–1,247 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Maupiti is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune is in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands.[3]

The commune of Maupiti is made up of the island of Maupiti proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef, with an area of 12.1 km2 in total, and of three distant atolls:

  • Maupiha'a (a.k.a. Mopelia), 4.6 km2 in land area, located 185 km (115 mi) south-west of Maupiti
  • Manua'e (a.k.a. Scilly), 4.9 km2 in land area, located 255 km (160 mi) west of Maupiti. This atoll is the westernmost emerged land of French Polynesia.
  • Motu One (a.k.a. Bellinghausen), 3.97 km2 (0.9 sq mi) in land area, located 250 km (155 mi) north-west of Maupiti.

Most of the inhabitants live on Maupiti island itself. The atolls of Maupiha'a and Manua'e have 20 and 21 inhabitants respectively, while Motu One is uninhabited. At the 2022 census the commune had a population of 1,302.[2]

The administrative center of the commune is the settlement of Vai'ea, on the island of Maupiti.[4]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Les résultats du recensement de la population 2022 de Polynésie française" [Results of the 2022 population census of French Polynesia] (PDF) (in French). Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. January 2023.
  3. ^ Décret n° 2005-1611 du 20 décembre 2005 pris pour l'application du statut d'autonomie de la Polynésie française, Légifrance
  4. ^ Décret n°72-407 du 17 mai 1972 portant création de communes dans le territoire de la Polynésie française, Légifrance