Rapa Iti
 NASApicture of Rapa | |
  Rapa Iti Rapa Iti is located in French Polynesia | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 27°36′S144°20′W/ 27.600°S 144.333°W |
| Archipelago | Australes |
| Area | 40.5 km2(15.6 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 650 m (2130 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Perahu |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Commune | Rapa Iti |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 451[1](2022) |
Rapa | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 | |
Location of Rapa  | |
| Coordinates:27°36′S144°20′W/ 27.60°S 144.33°W | |
| Country | France |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Subdivision | Austral Islands |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Tuanainai Narii[2] |
| Area 1 | 40.54 km2(15.65 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | 451 |
| • Density | 11/km2(29/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−10:00 |
| INSEE/Postal code | 98741/98751 |
| Elevation | 0–650 m (0–2,133 ft) |
| 1French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2(0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Rapa,also calledRapa Iti,or "Little Rapa", to distinguish it fromEaster Island,whose Polynesian name is Rapa Nui, is the largest and only inhabited island of theBass IslandsinFrench Polynesia.An older name for the island isOparo.[3]The total land area including offshore islets is 40.5 km2(15.6 sq mi).[4]: 205 As of the 2022 census, Rapa had a population of 451.[1]The island's highest point is at 650 metres (2,130 ft) elevation at Mont Perahu.[4]: 243 Its main town isAhuréi.The inhabitants of Rapa Iti speak their own Polynesian language called theRapa language.
Geography[edit]
Rapa Iti is located at27°35′00″S144°20′00″W/ 27.58333°S 144.33333°W.It is shaped roughly like aGreekfinalsigma(ς), with a well-protected central bay, surrounded by a ring of relatively high mountains. The whole island appears to be the peak of a sinkingvolcano,with the bay as well as thecaldera.The area of the main island is 38.5 km2.Little Rapa Tauturau is an offshore island.
This island is the nearest land to theantipodesofJerusalem.
Its main town, Ahuréi (or Ha'uréi), lies on the southern shore of that bay, which is called the Baie d'Ahuréi. A smaller village, 'Area, is located on the northern shore of the bay. The people are Polynesian. Former times' warfare is indicated by 28 extant ridgetop forts. Today Rapa is home to theTahitian Choir,in which a third of the island's population sing traditional songs.
Although sometimes considered part of theAustral Islands,Rapa Iti and the Bass Islands have a different geological, linguistic and cultural history.[5]
History[edit]
Rapa Iti was first settled byPolynesians,most likely in the 12th century.[6]Their Polynesian dialect developed into what is today theRapa languageover the centuries.[7]It is believed that the depletion of natural resources on the island resulted in warfare, and the inhabitants lived in up to 14 fortified settlements (paorpare,a type of fort; compare theMāoripā) on peaks and clifftops.[8]It is considered that the oldest of these is Morongo Uta, which was developedc. 1450–1550 AD.
The first European to visit Rapa Iti wasGeorge Vancouveron 22 December 1791;[9]he named the island Oparo. Contact with Europeans brought liquor and disease, and between 1824 and 1830 over three quarters of the natives died.[9]Peruvian slavers raided the island as well.[10]When a handful of their victims were returned to the island, they brought with themsmallpox,which caused an epidemic.[10]In 1826, there were almost 2000 inhabitants; forty years later, there were fewer than 120.[11]
The independent island kingdom was declared a French protectorate in 1867. The British established a coaling station on the island, which prompted France to formally annex it on 6 March 1881. Subsequently, the native monarchy was abolished and the last queen, the daughter or Parima, was deposed on 18 June 1887.
Thor Heyerdahl,notably, made excavations in Morongo Uta, seeking links between Rapa Iti andRapa Nui(Easter Island).
Climate[edit]
Rapa Iti hastropical rainforest climate(Afin theKöppen climate classification,Arabin theTrewartha climate classification), bordering on a very-mild winterhumid subtropical climate(Cfain theKöppen climate classification,Cfalin theTrewartha climate classification). Despite being situated south of the Tropic of Capricorn, the remote location in the middle of a tropical ocean enables the climate to be moderated in all seasons. Summers are hot and muggy, and cyclones are rarer, as the islands are located near theHorse Latitudesat thirty degrees south, despite the exposed location makes the island very windy, tempering the summer weather. Very hot weather is very rare, with the highest temperature recorded was 31.6 °C (88.9 °F) in March. Winters are mild and very stormy, due to the isolated and exposed location of Rapa Iti. Precipitation is abundant in all seasons, and sunshine is uncommon every month of the year. The cool winters and strong winds prohibit ultra tropical fruits such as coconuts to thrive, as it has dropped to 8.5 °C (47.3 °F) in September. In addition, the lack of continental influence promotes the vast seasonal lag, as March is the second-warmest month of the year, while September is the second-coldest.
| Climate data for Rapa, French Polynesia (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1951-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 31.0 (87.8) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.6 (88.9) |
30.3 (86.5) |
28.1 (82.6) |
26.3 (79.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.9 (84.0) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.6 (88.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.7 (78.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
24.5 (76.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
21.6 (70.9) |
20.8 (69.4) |
20.5 (68.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
21.5 (70.7) |
23.0 (73.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.7 (74.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.0 (75.2) |
22.4 (72.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
19.3 (66.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
18.4 (65.1) |
19.3 (66.7) |
20.8 (69.4) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.0 (69.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.7 (71.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
18.6 (65.5) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
15.9 (60.6) |
16.1 (61.0) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.6 (65.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
18.8 (65.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
15.2 (59.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
10.1 (50.2) |
10.2 (50.4) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.9 (48.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.0 (53.6) |
13.2 (55.8) |
8.5 (47.3) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 227.2 (8.94) |
204.9 (8.07) |
256.3 (10.09) |
234.8 (9.24) |
172.2 (6.78) |
215.4 (8.48) |
237.5 (9.35) |
209.0 (8.23) |
148.1 (5.83) |
177.8 (7.00) |
143.1 (5.63) |
209.6 (8.25) |
2,435.9 (95.90) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 13.4 | 12.9 | 15.6 | 14.8 | 14.2 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 12.7 | 12.0 | 10.5 | 13.2 | 165.3 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 131.0 | 133.8 | 130.9 | 115.0 | 102.8 | 93.4 | 101.1 | 120.6 | 123.4 | 133.7 | 134.3 | 125.0 | 1,444.9 |
| Source: Meteo France[12] | |||||||||||||
Environment[edit]
The Manatau French Polynesian Reserve is a special French Polynesian Reserve to protect the animals and ridgetop forts of an area of southern Rapa. It is located near South Ahuréi.
The island is home to theendemicandcritically endangeredRapa fruit dovewhich is threatened by habitat loss, predation byferal catsand hunting. Its population was estimated in 2017 at 160 individual birds. The critically endangeredRapa shearwateris endemic to surrounding islets. Other birds include the least concernMurphy's petrel,which nest there in small numbers, and the near threatenedbristle-thighed curlewwhich is a non-breeding visitor while migrating. Because of its significance for these species the island has been identified as anImportant Bird AreabyBirdLife International.[13]
Administration[edit]
The commune ofRapaconsists of the island of Rapa Iti and the four uninhabitedMarotirirocks.
References[edit]
- ^abc"Les résultats du recensement de la population 2022 de Polynésie française"[Results of the 2022 population census of French Polynesia](PDF)(in French). Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie française. January 2023.
- ^"Répertoire national des élus: les maires"(in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^Tahiti guide
- ^abEnvironnement marin des îles Australes
- ^F. Allan Hanson,Rapan Lifeways(1970)
- ^Anderson, Atholl; Kennett, Douglas J.; Conte, Eric."The prehistory of Rapa Island"(PDF).Retrieved19 March2022.
- ^CDNNArchivedAugust 29, 2006, at theWayback Machine
- ^Kennett, Douglas; Anderson, Atholl; Prebble, Matthew; Conte, Eric; Southon, John (2006). "Prehistoric human impacts on Rapa, French Polynesia".Antiquity.80(308): 340–354.doi:10.1017/S0003598X00093662.S2CID20236158.
- ^abRichards, Rhys."The Earliest Foreign Visitors and Their Massive Depopulation of Rapa-iti from 1824 to 1830".Journal de la Société des Océanistes.
- ^abBrash, Celeste; Jean-Bernard Carillet (2009).Tahiti and French Polynesia.Lonely Planet. pp. 236–237.ISBN978-1741043167.RetrievedNovember 6,2012.
- ^Anderson, Warwick (2000)."Infectious Diseases: Colonising the Pacific? (review)"(PDF).Bulletin of the History of Medicine.74(3): 617.doi:10.1353/bhm.2000.0103.S2CID72696414.
- ^"Fiche Climatologique"(PDF).Meteo France.RetrievedFebruary 2,2021.
- ^"Rapa".BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas.BirdLife International. 2012.Retrieved2012-12-27.
- F. Allan Hanson (1973).Rapa: une île polynésienne hier et aujourd'hui.Société des Océanistes.
External links[edit]
- Information from website of the government of French Polynesia(article not found)
- Article about a scientific study on the social history and development of Rapa Iti society(article not found)
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