Mataiva
- ISS002-E-7553
- 21 June 2001
- 19:43 UTC
Mataiva, the most northwesterly of all the Tuamotu atolls, is located 18 km northwest from Tikehau and 80 km northwest from Rangiroa. The French Polynesian centre of Tahiti lies 311 km to the southwest.
Mataiva is a relatively small atoll, measuring 10 km by 5 km, with its central lagoon covering an area of 25 km². The lagoon is crowded with reticulated reef formations, ranging in size from 30 m to 300 m, that divide the lagoon waters in to a network of shallow pools. Also within the lagoon are several small motu — including : Motu Tapere, Motu Tiamano, Motu Opua and Motu Teaku. On the south side of the lagoon are numerous small channels connecting the lagoon with the open ocean. However, there is only one large passage — the Passe de Pahua — found on the west side of the lagoon, on either side of which can be found Pahua, the main settlement of the atoll.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
