Atoll in the South Pacific
Fakaofo
, formerly known as
Bowditch Island
, is a
South Pacific Ocean
atoll
located in the
Tokelau
Group. The actual land area is only about 3 km
2
(1.1 sq mi), consisting of islets on a coral reef surrounding a central lagoon of some 45 km
2
. According to the 2006 census 483 people officially live on Fakaofo (however just 370 were present at census night). Of those present 70% belong to the
Congregational Church
and 22% to the
Catholic Church
.
[2]
Geography and government
[
edit
]
The main settlement on the island is Fale on
Fale Islet
, towards the western side of the atoll. Located two kilometres to the west of it is the relatively large
Fenua Fala
Islet, where a second settlement was established in 1960. Other islets in the group include
Teafua
,
Nukumatau
,
Nukulakia
,
Fenua Loa
,
Saumatafanga
,
Motu Akea
,
Matangi
,
Lalo
, and
Mulifenua
.
Fakaofo's Council of Elders is made up of citizens over the age of 60.
History
[
edit
]
The island was sighted by the whale ship
General Jackson
in 1835 and named DeWolf Island after their ship's owner. The
General Jackson
returned in 1839.
The island was then named
Bowditch
(after
Nathaniel Bowditch
), this island was visited by the American ship
USS
Peacock
which was part of the first American voyage of discovery – The
United States Exploring Expedition
(also known as "the Ex Ex" or "the Wilkes Expedition"), 1838?1842,
United States Navy
Lieutenant
Charles Wilkes
commanding.
[3]
Nathaniel Bowditch (1773?1838) was a noted American navigator who wrote a famous two-volume encyclopedia of navigation and sailing that is still used and published today by the
Defense Mapping Agency Topographic Center (DMATC)
.
In
Twenty Years Before The Mast
,
[4]
[a]
Charles Erskine wrote "The people found on this island had no knowledge of fire, which I believe, is the only instance of the kind on record."
In a village on the island is a coral slab monument personifying
Tui Tokelau
, a god once worshiped in the islands.
In 1889, Fakaofu and several other Tokuelauan islands were claimed by Great Britain as part of the
Union Islands
.
[5]
In 1916, the Union Islands were annexed to the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands
colony and then, in 1925, reassigned to the
Dominion of New Zealand
under the administration of
Territory of Western Samoa
.
[6]
Unlike
Atafu
and
Nukunono
, no U.S. claims under the
Guano Island Act
were ever made on Fakaofu.
Despite this, in 1979, as part of the
Treaty of Tokehega
, the U.S. formally renounced its prior claim on all Tokelauan islands now under New Zealand sovereignty, including Fakaofu, and a
maritime boundary
between Tokelau and
American Samoa
was established.
[8]
Climate crisis
[
edit
]
Five-metre high concrete walls surround one of Fakaofo's atolls, that were constructed by residents to protect the islet from rising sea levels.
[9]
List of islands
[
edit
]
- Mulifenua
- Vini
- Motu Pelu
- Avaono
- Talapeka
- Te Lafu
- Olokalaga
- Palea
- Manumea
- Ofuna
- Kavivave
- Heketai
- Motuloa
- Motu Akea
- Motu Iti
- Niue
- Fugalei
- Manuafe
- Otafi Loto
- Otafi Loa
- Kaivai
- Nukuheheke
- Nukamahaga Lahi
- Nukamahaga Iti
- Tenki
- Pagai
- Matakitoga
- Vaiaha
- Falatutahi
- Lapa
- Hugalu
- Logotaua
- Tafolaelo
- Otano
- Akegamutu
- Te Loto
- Kapiomotu
- Metu
- Hakea Mahaga
- Pukava
- Hakea
- Te Kau Afua o Humu
- Nukulakia
- Te Papaloa
- Pataliga
- Nukumatau
- Fale
- Te Afua tau Lua
- Fenua Fala
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
This book should not be confused with another book with a similar title by
Richard Henry Dana Jr.
, which tells about hide trading on the California coast in the early 19th century.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Results are in for the 2023 Tokelau national election"
.
www.rnz.co.nz
.
RNZ
. 30 January 2023
. Retrieved
7 February
2023
.
- ^
"2006 Census Tabular Report"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2007-06-14
. Retrieved
2008-04-05
.
- ^
Stanton, William (1975).
The Great United States Exploring Expedition
. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.
236
.
ISBN
0520025571
.
- ^
Erskine, Charles (1896).
Twenty Years Before The Mast
. Philadelphia, PA, USA: George W. Jacobs & Co.
- ^
Skaggs, Jimmy M. (1994).
The Great Guano Rush: Entrepreneurs and American Overseas Expansion
. London: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 135?136, 236.
ISBN
9780312103163
.
- ^
Rogers, E.S. (January 9, 1933).
The Sovereignty of Guano Islands in the Pacific Ocean
(Report). Washington, D.C.: Department of State, Office of the Legal Advisor. pp. 226?228.
- ^
Treaty on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Tokelau and the United States of America (with map)
, United Nations Treaty Series, 1998.
- ^
"See How Pacific Islanders Are Living With Climate Change"
.
Photography
. 2017-02-09. Archived from
the original
on April 15, 2021
. Retrieved
2021-11-07
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Fakaofo
.
9°21′55″S
171°12′54″W
/
9.36528°S 171.21500°W
/
-9.36528; -171.21500
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Australasia
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Melanesia
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Micronesia
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Polynesia
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,
Pitcairn Islands
6
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7
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Tokelau
8
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