Rimatara is the westernmost inhabited island in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. It is located 550 km south of Tahiti and 150 km west of Rurutu. The land area of Rimatara is 8.6 km2, and that of the Maria islets is 1.3 km2. Its highest point is 106 m. Its population was 893 at the 2022 census. Rimatara is a circular volcanic plateau surrounded by a reef with a height of 8 to 10 m. The main villages are Amaru (the capital), Anapoto and Mutuaura. Rimatara was one of the last Polynesian islands to receive European visitors. Captain Samuel Pinder Henry discovered the island in 1811. Two Tahitian missionaries from Bora Bora arrived in 1822 and established a Protestant mission. France established a protectorate in 1889 and annexed Rimatara in 1901.

Notable people

Administration

The commune of Rimatara consists of the island of Rimatara, and the uninhabited Maria Islets (Îlots Maria). Rimatara consists of the following associated communes: