Temoe

Temoe, or Te Moe, is a small atoll of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the far southeast of the Tuamotu group archipelago. It lies about 37 km southeast from the Gambier Islands and more than 1,700 kilometres (1,100 miles) southeast from Mataiva, at the other end of the Tuamotu archipelago.

Temoe

NASA picture of Temoe Atoll
Map of the commune of Gambier, showing to the north-west the islands that are part of the commune but belong to the Tuamotu Archipelago, and to the south-east the Gambier Islands proper (Mangareva, Akamaru, Taravai, Temoe).
Temoe
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	23°20′30″S 134°28′50″W
Archipelago	Tuamotus
Area	12 km2 (4.6 sq mi)  (lagoon) 2.1 km2 (0.8 sq mi) (above water)
Length	6.8 km (4.23 mi)
Width	4.2 km (2.61 mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision	Tuamotus
Commune	Gambier Islands
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited[1] (2012)

Temoe Atoll is trapezoidal in shape and bound by a continuous reef with many small shallow spillways. It is 6.8 kilometres (4.2 miles) in length and has a maximum width of 4.2 kilometres (2.6 miles). The lagoon has a maximum depth of 23 metres (75 feet).^[2] Its islands are low and flat and the lagoon has no navigable pass to enter it.

Temoe is permanently uninhabited. Administratively it belongs to the commune of the Gambier Islands.^[3]

25 kilometres (16 miles) southwest of Temoe Atoll lies Portland Reef, a submerged shoal lying at a depth of about 10 metres (33 feet).^[4]

History

Temoe was formerly inhabited. There are ancient Polynesian archaeological remains on this lonely atoll; foremost among these are temple structures (marae).^[5]

It is said that buccaneer Edward Davis might have arrived at Temoe and Mangareva in 1686; there is no historical proof of this.^[6]

The first recorded European to effectively arrive at Temoe was British mariner James Wilson on the ship Duff in 1797. Captain Wilson named this atoll "Crescent Island".^[7]

In 1838, Christian missionaries moved all the inhabitants of Temoe to Mangareva to help in construction work.^[8]

Rats were eradicated from Temoe Island in 2015.^[9] Their eradication was confirmed in 2020.^[10]

See also

• Islands portal

• Desert island
• List of islands

References

1. "Population". Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
2. "Status of Coral Reefs in French Polynesia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
3. "Oceandots - Temoe". Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved 2016-03-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
4. Classification Bernard Salvat (85) : English translation Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
5. Mangareva
6. The Geographical Journal, Vol. 65, No. 6, Jun., 1925 - The Riddle of the Pacific
7. - The Geographical Journal, Vol. 50, No. 1, Jul., 1917 - Notes on Easter Island
8. Mangareva, Tahiti - Death of a People
9. "Deux ans après, la dératisation des Actéon-Gambier est un succès" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
10. Birds Thrive Five Years After Restoration

External links

• Atoll list Archived 2007-02-28 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
• Atoll names Archived 2012-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
• Island Conservation: Acteon and Gambier Archipelagos Restoration Project