Hao (French Polynesia)

Hao
NASA picture of Hao Atoll
Hao is located in French Polynesia
Hao
Hao
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates18°4′31″S 140°56′43″W / 18.07528°S 140.94528°W / -18.07528; -140.94528
ArchipelagoTuamotus
Area720 km2 (280 sq mi)  (lagoon)
35 km2 (14 sq mi) (above water)
Length50 km (31 mi)
Width14 km (8.7 mi)
Highest elevation3 m (10 ft)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
Administrative subdivisionÎles Tuamotu-Gambier
CommuneHao
Largest settlementOtepa
Demographics
Population1009[1] (2022)
Hao
Flag of Hao
Location of Hao
Map
Coordinates: 18°04′31″S 140°56′43″W / 18.0753°S 140.9453°W / -18.0753; -140.9453
CountryFrance
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
SubdivisionÎles Tuamotu-Gambier
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Yseult Butcher[2]
Area
1
65.0 km2 (25.1 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
1,227
 • Density19/km2 (49/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−10:00
INSEE/Postal code
98720 /98767
Elevation0–3 m (0.0–9.8 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Hao, or Haorangi,[3] is a large coral atoll in the central part of the Tuamotu Archipelago. It has c. 1000 people living on 35 km2 (14 sq mi). It was used to house the military support base for the nuclear tests on Mururoa. Because of its shape, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville named it "Île de la Harpe" (Harp Island).

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
  3. ^ 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.