 NASA picture of Fakarava Atoll | |
  Fakarava Location in French Polynesia | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°18′S 145°38′W / 16.300°S 145.633°W |
| Archipelago | Tuamotus |
| Area | 1,112 km2 (429 sq mi) (lagoon) 24.1 km2 (9 sq mi) (above water) |
| Length | 60 km (37 mi) |
| Width | 21 km (13 mi) |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Îles Tuamotu-Gambier |
| Commune | Fakarava |
| Largest settlement | Rotoava |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 837[1] (2016) |
| Pop. density | 35/km2 (91/sq mi) |
Fakarava, Havaiki-te-araro, Havai'i or Farea[2] is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is the second largest of the Tuamotu atolls. The nearest land is Toau, a coral atoll which lies 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) to the northwest.
The atoll is roughly rectangular and its length is 60 kilometres (37 miles) and its width 21 kilometres (13 miles). Fakarava has a wide and deep lagoon with a surface of 1,112 square kilometres (429 square miles) and two passes. The main pass to enter the lagoon, located in its north-western end, is known as Passe Garuae and it is the largest pass in French Polynesia; the southern pass is called Tumakohua. It has a land area of 24.1 square kilometres (9 square miles). Fakarava has 837 inhabitants; the main village is called Rotoava.
- ^ "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ Young, J.L. (1899). "Names of the Paumotu Islands, with the old names so far as they are known". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 8 (4): 264–268. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2015.