Tuamotu Atolls Articles and Links

The low islands of the 80 Tuamotu atolls stretch across several hundred miles of Pacific Ocean, and include the main islands of Rangiroa, Manihi, and Mataiva. All are basically green rings of coral reef surrounding a turquoise lagoon. Most feature beautiful crystal-clear waters and the breathtaking beauty of interior lagoons bursting with brightly colored coral, fish life and black pearl farms. The islands were visited by the Spanish in 1606, came under a French protectorate in 1844, and were annexed by France in 1881. The Tuamotu group was formerly called Paumotu, or Dangerous Archipelago, because hundreds of ships have been wrecked on its reefs and atolls. Some islands of the group were used for French nuclear experiments.