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Tenarunga
Tenarunga.JPG
NASA picture of Tenarunga Atoll
Tenarunga is located in French Polynesia
Tenarunga
Tenarunga
Location in French Polynesia
Geography
Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates 21°19′S 136°32′W / 21.317°S 136.533°W / -21.317; -136.533
Archipelago Tuamotus
Area 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi)  (lagoon)
2.3 km2 (0.9 sq mi) (above water)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision Tuamotus
Commune Gambier Islands
Demographics
Population 10-50 (2022)
Tenarunga Map
Map of Tenarunga Atoll

Tenarunga or Tenania, previously Narunga and formerly Minto Island is a low, wooded and uninhabited atoll in the Acteon Group in the southeastern part of the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia. It is administratively a part of the Gambier Islands.

Geography

Tenarunga is located 15 kilometres (9 miles) northwest of Matureivavao, 6 kilometres (4 miles) west of Vahanga and 1,375 kilometres (854 miles) southeast of Tahiti. It has a land area of 2.3 square kilometres (0.9 square miles) and a total area (lagoon inclusive) of 5 square kilometres (2 square miles). There are some buildings and a dock located on the north-east side of the island, indicating former and/or seasonal habitation.

The atoll's lagoon is not accessible from the sea.

History

The first recorded sighting of this atoll was made during the Spanish expedition of the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 5 February 1606 under the name Las Cuatro Coronadas (the "four crowned" (by coconut palms)); however, these observations were not fully documented. As such, the first unambiguous approach to the island was made on 14 March 1828 by the collector Hugh Cuming in his ship The Discoverer, captained by Samuel Grimwood. The next visit was in 1833 by the navigator Thomas Ebrill on his merchant's vessel Amphitrite and again in 1837 by Lord Edward Russell, commander of the H.M.S Actaeon, the name given to the group.

Flora and fauna

The island is home to many rare species including the Tuamotu sandpiper.

In 2015 a conservation campaign resulted in the eradication of rats from the island.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tenarunga para niños

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