ISLANDS

Tuamotus

The world's largest chain of coral atolls, spanning roughly 1,500 km of the South Pacific in French Polynesia.

Geography

The Tuamotu Archipelago contains 78 atolls, most of them low-lying coral rings enclosing shallow lagoons. The largest, Rangiroa, encloses a lagoon over 1,640 square kilometers, large enough to contain the entire island of Tahiti.

Economy

Black pearl farming, using the black-lipped oyster Pinctada margaritifera, is the dominant industry. Rangiroa and Fakarava lagoons support extensive marine reserves and attract divers from around the world.

Vulnerability

With no point rising more than a few meters above sea level, the atolls are acutely exposed to tropical cyclones and long-term sea-level rise.

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Tuamotus starts with T and ends with S. Browse other islands along the same letter.

Islands that contain a letter from "Tuamotus":