Gambier Islands

The Gambier Islands (French: Îles Gambier or Archipel des Gambier) are an archipelago in French Polynesia, located at the southeast terminus of the Tuamotu archipelago. They cover an area of 27.8 km2 or 10.7 sq mi, and are made up of the Mangareva Islands, a group of high islands remnants of a caldera along with islets on the surrounding fringing reef, and the uninhabited Temoe atoll, which is located 45 km (28 mi) south-east of the Mangareva Islands. The Gambiers are generally considered a separate island group from Tuamotu both because their culture and language (Mangarevan) are much more closely related to those of the Marquesas Islands, and because, while the Tuamotus comprise several chains of coral atolls, the Mangareva Islands are of volcanic origin with central high islands.

This article is about the Gambier Islands located in Polynesia. For the commune itself, see Gambier. For the island in Canada, see Gambier Island. For the islands in South Australia, see Gambier Islands (South Australia).
Gambier Islands
Native name:
Îles Gambier
Flag of the Gambier Islands
Map of the commune of Gambier, showing to the north-west the islands that are part of the commune but belong to the Tuamotu Archipelago, and to the south-east the Gambier Islands proper (Mangareva, Akamaru, Taravai, Temoe).
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates23°07′S 134°58′W
ArchipelagoPolynesia
Total islands14
Major islandsMangareva, Akamaru, Aukena, Taravai
Area27.8 km2 (10.7 sq mi)
Administration
Collectivity French Polynesia
Largest settlementRikitea
Demographics
Population1,431 (Aug. 2017)
Pop. density51/km2 (132/sq mi)
Additional information
Time zone
  • UTC-9
Gambier Islands
Location of the Gambier Islands in the Pacific Ocean

Administratively, the Gambier Islands are inside the commune of Gambier, which also includes several atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago. The town hall (mairie) of the commune of Gambier is located on Mangareva, which is the largest island in the Gambier Islands group.

The population of the Gambier Islands was 1,431 people at the 2017 census, all living in the Mangareva Islands.

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