Coordinates: 22°01′S 136°11′W / 22.017°S 136.183°W / -22.017; -136.183

Maria Est

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Maria Est
File:Maria Est.jpg
NASA picture of Maria Est Atoll
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Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
CoordinatesLua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
ArchipelagoTuamotus
Area7 km2 (2.7 sq mi) (lagoon)
3.75 km2 (1 sq mi) (above water)
Length5.6 km (3.48 mi)
Width2.9 km (1.8 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivityFrench Polynesia
Administrative subdivisionÎles Tuamotu-Gambier
CommuneGambier
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited[1] (2012)

Maria Atoll[2] is an uninhabited small atoll of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is located in the far southeast of the archipelago, about 72 km (45 mi) southwest from Marutea Sud. Maria's closest neighbour is the small atoll of Matureivavao of the Acteon Group, 56 km (35 mi) to the northwest.

Maria Atoll is oval in shape and bound by a continuous reef. It is 5.6 km long and 2.9 km wide. Its islands are low and flat and the lagoon is hypersaline.

This atoll is mostly called "Maria Est" in order to avoid confusion with another small atoll called Maria (Nororotu) in the Tubuai (Austral Islands) division of French Polynesia.

History

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The first recorded European who arrived at Maria Est was Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout (fr) in 1829. On some maps, Maria Atoll appeared as "Moerenhout Island".[2]

Administration

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Administratively, Maria Est belongs to the commune of the Gambier Islands.

References

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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