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Rapa or Rapa Iti (Little Rapa) as it is sometimes called in more recent years (to distinguish it from "Rapa Nui" (Big Rapa), a name for Easter Island
Easter Island

Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeastern most point of the Polynesian triangle. The island is a special territory of Chile....
), is the largest and only inhabited island of the Bass Islands
Bass Islands (French Polynesia)

The Bass Islands consist primarily of Rapa Iti and Marotiri . They are usually considered to be the southernmost of the Austral Islands, 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....
 in French Polynesia
French Polynesia

French Polynesia is a France 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 ....
. An older name for the island is Oparo Rapa Iti is located at .






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Rapa or Rapa Iti (Little Rapa) as it is sometimes called in more recent years (to distinguish it from "Rapa Nui" (Big Rapa), a name for Easter Island
Easter Island

Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeastern most point of the Polynesian triangle. The island is a special territory of Chile....
), is the largest and only inhabited island of the Bass Islands
Bass Islands (French Polynesia)

The Bass Islands consist primarily of Rapa Iti and Marotiri . They are usually considered to be the southernmost of the Austral Islands, 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....
 in French Polynesia
French Polynesia

French Polynesia is a France 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 ....
. An older name for the island is Oparo Rapa Iti is located at . It is shaped roughly like a Greek
Greek alphabet

The Greek alphabet is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th century BC or early 8th century BCE....
 final sigma, with a well-protected central bay, surrounded by a ring of high mountains. The whole island appears very much to be the peak of a sinking volcano
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
, with the bay as the caldera
Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcano feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption such as the one at Yellowstone National Park....
. The area of the island is .

Its main town, often spelled on maps as Ahurei
Ahurei

Ahurei, pronounced Ha'urei by residents is the chief town of Rapa Iti, and of the Bass Islands of French Polynesia. It is located on the south side of the Baie d'Ahur?i....
 but pronounced by residents as Ha'urei (where ' denotes a glottal stop
Glottal stop

The glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound which is used in many Speech communication languages....
) is located on the south side of that bay. The people are Polynesian. In former times warfare is indicated by the 28 ridgetop forts. Today Rapa is home to the Tahitian Choir, in which a third of the island's population sing traditional songs.

Although sometimes considered part of the Austral Islands
Austral Islands

The Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Oceania. Geographically, the Austral Islands consist of two separate archipelagos....
, the Bass Islands have a different geological, linguistic and cultural history. A description of the culture of Rapa is found in Rapan Lifeways (1970), by F. Allan Hanson.

Rapa was first discovered by Europeans in 1791 by George Vancouver
George Vancouver

Captain George Vancouver Royal Navy was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his Vancouver Expedition, including the shores of the modern day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon....
, who named the island Oparo. Numerous ancient ruins ("pa" or "pare", a type of fort) are found on the island, particularly on peaks and clifftops. Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl

Thor Heyerdahl was a Norway ethnographer and adventurer with a scientific background in zoology and geography. Heyerdahl became famous for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed 4,300 miles by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands....
, notably, made excavations here, seeking links between the two Rapas.

Administration


The commune of Rapa consists of the islands of Rapa Iti and the four uninhabited Marotiri
Marotiri

Marotiri is a common placename in Polynesia. It may refer to:* Marotiri, a hill in New Zealand* Marotiri , an island in French Polynesia...
 rocks.

Related Article

  • Rapan language
    Rapan language

    Rapan is the language of Rapa Iti, in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. It is classified as an Polynesian languages, along with the Marquesic languages and Tahitic languages....


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