The
Bass Islands consist primarily of
RapaRapa or Rapa Iti as it is sometimes called in more recent years , is the largest and only inhabited island of the Bass Islands in French Polynesia. An older name for the island is Oparo Rapa Iti is located at...
and
MarotiriMarotiri is a group of four uninhabited volcanic rocks protruding from the sea , forming the southeastern end of the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. Marotiri is located at . The closest island is Rapa Iti, 75 km further northwest, but separated from it by an ocean depth of more than 1,500 meters...
. They are usually considered to be the southernmost of the
Austral IslandsThe Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the South Pacific. Geographically, the Austral Islands consist of two separate archipelagos. From northwest to southeast they are:...
, although this classification is one of geographic and political expediency more so than because of similarities between them and the rest of the Austral Islands. The Bass Islands are the southernmost islands in
French PolynesiaFrench Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
.
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The
Bass Islands consist primarily of
RapaRapa or Rapa Iti as it is sometimes called in more recent years , is the largest and only inhabited island of the Bass Islands in French Polynesia. An older name for the island is Oparo Rapa Iti is located at...
and
MarotiriMarotiri is a group of four uninhabited volcanic rocks protruding from the sea , forming the southeastern end of the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. Marotiri is located at . The closest island is Rapa Iti, 75 km further northwest, but separated from it by an ocean depth of more than 1,500 meters...
. They are usually considered to be the southernmost of the
Austral IslandsThe Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the South Pacific. Geographically, the Austral Islands consist of two separate archipelagos. From northwest to southeast they are:...
, although this classification is one of geographic and political expediency more so than because of similarities between them and the rest of the Austral Islands. The Bass Islands are the southernmost islands in
French PolynesiaFrench Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
.
Geologically, the Bass Islands are distinguished from the Austral Islands in that their vulcanism appears to be much more recent.
Culturally, the Bass Islands appear to have been colonized about the same time as
TahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The island had a population of 178,133 inhabitants according to the August 2007 census. This makes it the most populous island of French Polynesia,...
and the
MarquesasThe Marquesas Islands are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
, and the culture and language (
RapanRapan is the language of Rapa, in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. It is classified as an East Central Polynesian language, along with the Marquesic and Tahitic languages....
) appear to have diverged about the same time as well, indicating that they developed in relative isolation almost from the time of first settlement.
See also