Tuamotu/Rangiroa: Rangiroa from Air

Tuamotu Islands is the largest coral atoll archipelago in the world. There are 80 atolls spread in a broad line below the Equator and hundreds of miles north of the Society Islands of the French Polynesia. No high peaks and volcanic mountains here – the highest point is just a meter or two above the ocean level and almost all islands look the same – an oval ring of a coral atoll around a central lagoon. Rangiroa is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus and the second largest in the world after the Marshall Islands. Interestingly, the entire island of Tahiti could fit inside Rangiroa lagoon. As you circle the atoll from the air, you get to see the amazing strip of land run like a snake for miles, before you land right on its thin spine.
Maps were disabled by the visitor on this site. Click to open the map in a new window.