Pacific Islands Political Geography

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names Further reading

Gambier Islands

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Gambier Islands , volcanic islands (6 sq mi/15.5 sq km; 2002 pop. 1,097), South Pacific, near the southeast end of the Tuamotu Archipelago . The group is a part of French Polynesia . It comprises a cluster of four inhabited islands known as Mangareva and many uninhabited atolls. The Mangareva cluster is within a barrier reef having a circumference of c.40 mi (60 km). The islands have copra and coffee plantations and pearl fisheries. Many of the uninhabited atolls are privately owned and are worked for copra. Mangareva is the seat of Rikitea, the capital. Discovered in 1797 by the British (who named the group), the Gambier Islands were annexed by France in 1881. Some of the atolls were used for French nuclear tests.

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Gambier Islands

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Gambier Islands (French: Îles Gambier), French Polynesia Sighted in 1797 by Captain James Wilson and named after Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier and a British naval commander. They are sometimes called by their local name, the Mangareva Islands, after the main island of Mangareva. They were annexed by the French in 1881.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Gambier Islands." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Gambier Islands." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-GambierIslands.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Gambier Islands." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-GambierIslands.html

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