part_of makatea
Fakarava , Havaiki - te - araro , Havai ' i or Farea is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in ___MASK67___ Polynesia . It is the second largest of the Tuamotu atolls . The nearest land is Toau Atoll , which lies to the northwest . A cay ( or ), also spelled caye or key , is a small , low - elevation , sandy island on the surface of a coral reef . Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific , Atlantic and Indian Oceans ( including in the ___MASK2___ and on the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef ). The ___MASK45___ is the largest of the Earth ' s oceanic divisions . It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean ( or , depending on definition , to Antarctica ) in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east . Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals . Coral reefs are built by colonies of tiny ___MASK40___ found in marine waters that contain few nutrients . Most coral reefs are built from stony corals , which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups . The polyps belong to a group of ___MASK40___ known as Cnidaria , which also includes ___MASK27___ anemones and jellyfish . Unlike ___MASK27___ anemones , corals secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons which support and protect the coral polyps . Most reefs grow best in warm , shallow , clear , sunny and agitated waters . Corals are marine invertebrates in the ___MASK80___ Anthozoa of ___MASK49___ Cnidaria . They typically live in compact colonies of many identical individual polyps . The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard ___MASK51___ . Anaa , Nganaa - nui ( or Ara - ura ) is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago , in ___MASK67___ Polynesia . It is located in the north - west of the archipelago , 350 km to the east of Tahiti . It is oval in shape , 29 . 5 km in length and 6 . 5 km wide , with a total land area of 38 km² and a population of 500 . The atoll is made up by eleven small barren ___MASK97___ with deeper and more fertile soil than other atolls in the Tuamotus . The lagoon is shallow , without entrance , and formed by three main basins . Although it does not have any navigable access , the water of the lagoon renews by several small channels that can be crossed walking . Western ___MASK43___ , also West ___MASK43___ , is the region comprising the western ___MASK41___ of the European continent . There ___MASK64___ be differences between the geopolitical and purely geographic definitions of the term . Vairaatea is a small atoll of the Tuamotu group in ___MASK67___ Polynesia . Geographically Vairaatea Atoll is part of the East - central ___MASK50___ of the Tuamotus , which includes Ahunui , Amanu , Fangatau , Hao and Nukutavake . Nukutavake , the closest land , lies to the east . The Maldives (, or ), officially ___MASK93___ of Maldives (""), is a South Asian island ___MASK4___ , located in the Indian ___MASK57___ . It lies southwest of India and Sri Lanka . The chain of twenty - six atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to the Addu City in the south . Comprising a territory spanning roughly , the Maldives is one of the world ' s most geographically dispersed countries , as well as the smallest Asian ___MASK4___ by both land area and population , with a little over 393 , 500 inhabitants . Malé is the capital and most populated city , traditionally called the " King ' s Island " for its central location . The ___MASK25___ or the Tuamotu Archipelago ( officially "") are a ___MASK67___ Polynesian chain of almost 80 ___MASK97___ and atolls , stretching from the northwest to the southeast over an area of the southern ___MASK45___ roughly the size of Western Europe , with a land area of and 16 , 000 inhabitants , forming the largest chain of atolls in the world . Its major ___MASK97___ are Anaa , Fakarava , Hao and Makemo . Makemo , Rangi - kemo or Te Paritua , is one of the larger of the Tuamotu atolls in ___MASK67___ Polynesia . The ___MASK67___ overseas collectivities ( or " COM "), like the ___MASK67___ regions , are first - ___MASK29___ administrative divisions of France . The COMs include some former ___MASK67___ overseas territories and other ___MASK67___ overseas entities with a particular status , all of which became COMs by constitutional reform on 28 March 2003 . The COMs should not be confused with the overseas regions and overseas departments which have no particular status . As integral parts of France , overseas collectivities are represented in the ___MASK9___ , Senate and Economic and Social Council . Only one COM , Saint Martin , is part of the ___MASK20___ and can vote to elect members of the European Parliament ( MEP ). The Pacific COMs use the CFP franc , a currency pegged to the euro , whereas the Atlantic COMs use the euro directly . As of 31 March 2011 , there were five COMs : The Marshall ___MASK97___ , officially the Republic of the Marshall ___MASK97___ , is an island country located near the equator in the ___MASK45___ , slightly west of the International Date Line . Geographically , the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia . The country ' s population of 53 , 158 people ( at the 2011 Census ) is spread out over 29 coral atolls , comprising 1 , 156 individual islands and islets . The islands share maritime boundaries with the Federated States of Micronesia to the west , Wake Island to the north , Kiribati to the south - east , and Nauru to the south . About 27 , 797 of the islanders ( at the 2011 Census ) live on Majuro , which contains the capital . An atoll (, , , or ), sometimes called a coral atoll , is a ___MASK7___ - shaped coral reef including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely . There ___MASK64___ be coral islands / cays on the rim . Tikei , also known as Manu , Tikai and Tiku is an island in the Tuamotu group in ___MASK67___ Polynesia . Tikei is not a typical Tuamotu atoll , but a separate island . The island is long , wide , and has a land area of . Its highest elevation is above ___MASK27___ level Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of ___MASK67___ Polynesia ; this overseas collectivity of the ___MASK67___ Republic is sometimes referred to as an overseas country . The island is located in the archipelago of the ___MASK36___ Islands in the central Southern ___MASK45___ , and is divided into two parts : The bigger , northwestern part " Tahiti Nui " and the smaller , southeastern part " Tahiti Iti ". The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs . The population is 183 , 645 inhabitants ( 2012 census ), making it the most populous island of ___MASK67___ Polynesia and accounting for 68 . 5 percent of its total population . A lagoon is a shallow ___MASK85___ of water separated from a larger ___MASK85___ of water by barrier ___MASK97___ or reefs . Lagoons are commonly divided into coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons . They have also been identified as occurring on mixed - sand and gravel coastlines . There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries . Lagoons are common coastal features around many parts of the world . Tikehau ( meaning " Peaceful Landing " in Tuamotuan ) or Porutu - kai is a coral atoll in the ___MASK13___ group , part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia . It is included in the commune of Rangiroa . A coral island is a type of island formed from coral detritus and associated organic material . They occur in tropical and sub - tropical areas , typically as ___MASK41___ of coral reefs which have grown to cover a far larger area under the ___MASK27___ . Rangiroa ( meaning " Vast ___MASK65___ " in Tuamotuan ) or Te Kokta (" Hyades " in ___MASK74___ ), is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus , and one of the largest in the world ( although it is smaller than Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Huvadhu in the Maldives ). It is part of the Palliser group . The nearest atoll is Tikehau , located only 12 km to the west . It is about 355 km northeast of Tahiti . ___MASK67___ Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the ___MASK67___ Republic ; " ( COM )", sometimes unofficially referred to as an overseas country ; " ( POM )". It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed ___MASK97___ and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than in the South ___MASK45___ . Its total land area is . Makatea , or Mangaia - te - vai - tamae , is a raised coral atoll in the northwestern ___MASK41___ of the ___MASK25___ , which is a ___MASK41___ of the ___MASK67___ overseas collectivity of ___MASK67___ Polynesia . It is located 79 km southwest from Rangiroa to the west of the Palliser group , which also is in ___MASK67___ Polynesia . Makatea is surrounded by spectacular cliffs , rising to a plateau 80 m above ___MASK27___ level . This island is 7 . 5 km long , with a maximum width of 7 km in the south . It is 24 km² in area . Makatea is one of the only four islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago ( along with Nukutavake , Tikei , and Tepoto Nord ) that do not take the form of a typical atoll . An island or isle is any piece of sub - continental land that is surrounded by water . Very small ___MASK97___ such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets , skerries , cays or keys . An island in a river or a lake island ___MASK64___ be called an eyot or ait , and a small island off the coast ___MASK64___ be called a holm . A grouping of geographically or geologically related ___MASK97___ is called an archipelago , e . g . the Philippines . Nukutavake or Nukutuvake is an island in the Tuamotu group in ___MASK67___ Polynesia . It lies 1125 km from Tahiti . The closest land is small Pinaki Atoll , located 15 km to the southeast . Vairaatea Atoll lies 38 km to the west of Nukutavake .