Duke of Gloucester Islands


The Duke of Gloucester Islands is a subgroup of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. They are located southeast of Tahiti and south of the main Tuamotu atoll cluster and are rather isolated.

Atolls

The Duke of Gloucester Islands include four atolls of relatively small size:
Hereheretue is located to the northwest of the group of the other three atolls, which are located at and are uninhabited. Hereheretue is the only permanently inhabited island of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, with 57 inhabitants in 2002.

History

First sighting recorded by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 4 February 1606. They were named Cuatro Coronas. Gaspar González de Leza, pilot of Fernández de Quiros, charted them as Cuatro Anegadas.
They were renamed Duke of Gloucester Islands by the British explorer Philip Carteret, who visited them in 1767, in honour of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester.

Administration

Administratively the four atolls of the Duke of Gloucester Islands belong to the commune of Hereheretue, which is associated with the Hao commune.