Rangiroa

About

Rangiroa (Tuamotuan for 'vast sky') or Te Kokōta (Cook Islands Māori for 'the Hyades star cluster') is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus and one of the largest in the world (smaller than Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Huvadhu in the Maldives). It is in French Polynesia and is part of the Palliser group. The nearest atoll is Tikehau, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to the west. It is about 355 km (221 mi) northeast of Tahiti. Rangiroa is home to about 2,500 people on almost 80 km2 (31 sq mi). The chief town is Avatoru, in the atoll's northwest.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.