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| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 18°45′S 141°46′W / 18.75°S 141.76°W |
| Archipelago | Polynesia |
| Total islands | 78 |
| Major islands | Rangiroa, Anaa, Fakarava, Hao, Makemo |
| Area | 850 km2 (330 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Largest settlement | Rangiroa (pop. 2,709 (2017[1])) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 15,346 (2017[1]) |
| Pop. density | 18/km2 (47/sq mi) |
| Languages | French, Tuamotuan |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
The Tuamotu Archipelago[2][3] or the Tuamotu Islands[4][5] (French: Îles Tuamotu,[6][7] officially Archipel des Tuamotu) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to southeast) over an area roughly the size of Western Europe. Their combined land area is 850 square kilometres (328 square miles). This archipelago's major islands are Anaa, Fakarava, Hao and Makemo.
The Tuamotus have approximately 16,000 inhabitants. The islands were initially settled by Polynesians, and modern Tuamotuans have inherited from them a shared culture and the Tuamotuan language.
The Tuamotus are a French overseas collectivity.
- ^ a b "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française (in French). Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ Emory, Kenneth Pike (1975). Material Culture of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Department of Anthropology, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. ISBN 978-0-910240-53-6.
- ^ Intes, A.; Caillart, B.; Charpy-Roubaud, C. J.; Charpy, L.; Dufour, V.; Ellison, Joanna C.; Kosmynin, Vladimir N.; Maragos, James E.; Braithwaite, C. J. R. (1994). An Atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia).: Conolization of Fish Larvae in Lagoons of Rangiroa (Tuamotu Archipelago) an Morea (Society Archipelago). Smithsonian Institution.
- ^ Barratt, Glynn (1992). The Tuamotu Islands and Tahiti. UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-0409-7. Archived from the original on 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Tuamotu Islands. Times Editions. 1986. ISBN 978-9971-4-0082-8. Archived from the original on 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Iles de la Société, Iles Tubuaï ; Iles Tuamotu, Iles Marquises ; Carte de l'Oceanie Française (in French). Institut Geographique National. 1969. Archived from the original on 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Fleuriais (Contre-amiral.), Georges-Ernest (1882). Note relative aux positions géographiques des îles Tuamotu, par M. Fleuriais ... (in French). Impr. nationale. Archived from the original on 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2021-11-19.