Gambier Islands
[key], volcanic islands (6 sq mi/15.5 sq km), South Pacific, near the
southeast end of the Tuamotu
Archipelago. The group is a part of French Polynesia. It comprises a
cluster of four inhabited islands known as Mangareva and many uninhabited
atolls. The Mangareva cluster is within a barrier reef having a
circumference of c.40 mi (60 km). The islands have copra and coffee
plantations and pearl fisheries. Many of the uninhabited atolls are
privately owned and are worked for copra. Mangareva is the seat of Rikitea,
the capital. Discovered in 1797 by the British (who named the group), the
Gambier Islands were annexed by France in 1881. Some of the atolls were used
for French nuclear tests.
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