Faaite, or Faaiti is an atoll of the Tuamotus in French Polynesia. It is located 60 km to the north of Anaa Atoll. The total surface of the atoll is 227 km2 Its dry land area is 8.87 km2. Its length is 28 km and its width 10.5 km. The total population is 440 inhabitants. Faaite's inner lagoon has a navigable channel to the ocean. The main village is Hitianau, with a total population of 246.

History

The first recorded sighting of the atoll by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 11 February 1606. It was charted as Decena (ten in Spanish). John Turnbull rediscovered it in 1802. Turnbull was the first retailer of the Pacific who used the route of Tahiti to Hawaii. Russian oceanic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen visited Faaite in 1820 on the ships Vostok and Mirni. He named this atoll "Miloradovich". From September 2 to September 4, 1987, the population experienced a collective hysteria incited by a religious leader from the "Charismatic Renewal" who convinced the locals the island was inhabited by the Devil. Six islanders were thrown into a fire and burned alive in an exorcism frenzy.

Administration

Administratively Faaite belongs to the commune of Anaa, which includes the inhabited atoll of Faaite and the uninhabited atolls of Tahanea and Motutunga.

Transport

The island is connected to the world via Faaite Airport.