|
Mangareva is the central and largest island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north. Mangareva has a permanent population of 1,239 (2012) and the largest village on the island, Rikitea, is the chief town of the Gambier Islands. The island is approximately 8 km long and, at 15.4 km², it comprises about 56% of the land area of the whole Gambier group. Mangareva has a high central ridge which runs the length of the island. The highest point in the Gambiers is Mt. Duff, on Mangareva, rising to 441 m along the island's south coast. The island has a large lagoon 24 km in diameter containing reefs whose fish and shellfish helped ancient islanders survive much more successfully than on nearby islands with no reefs. ==History== Mangareva was once heavily forested and supported a large population that traded with other islands via canoes. However, excessive logging by the islanders during the 10th to the 15th centuries resulted in deforestation of the island, with disastrous results for its environment and economy (see Gambier Islands for more details). The first European to arrive to Mangareva was British Captain James Wilson in 1797 on ship ''Duff''. Wilson named the island group in honour of Admiral James Gambier, who had helped him to equip his vessel. The island was ruled by a line of kings that ruled until the French formally annexed the islands in 1881. Mangareva's history and its ancient links with the Pitcairn and Henderson islands is well-covered in Jared Diamond's book, ''Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed'' (2005).〔Jared Diamond, ''Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed'' (2005), ch. 3.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mangareva」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|