Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands, not to be confused with the Marquesas Keys of Florida, are a group of islands in French Polynesia. In French they are known as the Îles Marquises or Archipel des Marquises or Marquises, and in Marquesan they are known variously as Te Henua (K)enana (North Marquesan) and Te Fenua `Enata (South Marquesan), which means "The Land of Men". (See also: Names of the Marquesas Islands.)

Geography of the Marquesas

The Marquesas Islands are the furthest island group in the world from any continent, lying between 400 and 600 miles (600 and 1,000 km) south of the equator and approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) northeast of Tahiti. They fall naturally into two geographical divisions: the northern group, consisting of Eïao, Hatutu (Hatutaa), Motu One, and the islands centered around the large island of Nuku Hiva: Motu Iti (Hatu Iti), Ua Pou, Motu `Oa and Ua Huka, and the southern group of Fatu Uku, Tahuata, Moho Tani (Motane), Terihi, Fatu Hiva and Motu Nao (Thomasset Rock), clustered around the main island of Hiva `Oa.

Related Topics:
Equator - Tahiti - Eïao - Hatutu - Hatutaa - Motu One - Nuku Hiva - Motu Iti - Hatu Iti - Ua Pou - Motu `Oa - Ua Huka - Fatu Uku - Tahuata - Moho Tani - Motane - Terihi - Fatu Hiva - Motu Nao - Hiva `Oa

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With a combined land area of 1,274 km² (492 sq. miles), the Marquesas are among the largest island groups of French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva being the second largest island in the entire territory, after Tahiti.

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See related article: Marquesas geography

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