- Austral Islands
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The southernmost part of French Polynesia (austral is Latin for "south"), the islands form a chain about 850 mi (1,370 km) long. They were sighted by Capt. James Cook in 1769 and 1777. They were taken over by the French in the late 19th century. The inhabited islands are Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubuai, Raevavae, and Rapa.
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French Îles Australes, also called Tubuai Islands,southernmost archipelago of French Polynesia. Volcanic in origin, they are part of a vast submerged mountain chain (probably a southeasterly extension of the Cook Islands) in the central South Pacific. Scattered for 800 miles (1,300 km), they comprise five inhabited islands—Raivavae (6 square miles [16 square km]), Rapa (15 square miles [39 square km]), Rimatara, (3 square miles [8 square km]), Rurutu (11 square miles [29 square km]), and Tubuai (18 square miles [47 square km])—as well as the uninhabited Marotiri Rocks and Maria Island. Four of the islands were sighted by Captain James Cook—Rimatara and Rurutu in 1769 and Raivavae and Tubuai eight years later. In 1791 George Vancouver sighted the southernmost island, Rapa, the broken rim of a former volcano curved around the harbour of Ahurei Bay. The whole group was brought under French protection between 1880 and 1889.Major settlements include Mataura on Tubuai, Amaru on Raivavae, Ahurei on Rapa, and Moerai on Rurutu. The inhabitants are predominantly Protestant. Polynesian traditions are unusually well preserved in the Australs because of their comparative isolation. Principal resources are fish, coffee, taros, copra, and oranges. Pop. (1988 est.) 6,509.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
