Moʼorea
View of Moʻorea | |
Moorea as seen from Sentinel 2 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 17°32′S 149°50′W / 17.533°S 149.833°W |
| Archipelago | Society Islands |
| Area | 134 km2 (52 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,207 m (3960 ft) |
| Highest point | Mont Tohiveʻa |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Overseas collectivity | French Polynesia |
| Administrative subdivision | Windward Islands |
| Commune | Moʻorea-Maiʻao |
| Capital city | ʻĀfareaitu |
| Largest settlement | Pao Pao–Maharepa (4,244 inhabitants) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 16,191 (Aug. 2007 census) |
| Pop. density | 121/km2 (313/sq mi) |
| Official name | Lagon de Moʻorea |
| Designated | 15 September 2008 |
| Reference no. | 1834 |
Moʼorea (English: /ˌmoʊ.oʊˈreɪ.ɑː/ or /ˈmoʊ.oʊreɪ/; Tahitian: Moʼoreʼa, [moʔore(ʔ)a]), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia lying 17 kilometres (11 mi) northwest of Tahiti. Moʼorea and Tahiti are the largest members of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the larger Society Islands archipelago.
Moʼoreʼa means 'yellow lizard' in Tahitian: Moʼo = lizard; Reʼa (from reʼareʼa) = yellow. An older name for the island is ʼAimeho, sometimes spelled ʼAimeo or ʼEimeo (among other spellings that were used by early visitors before Tahitian spelling was standardized). Early Western colonists and voyagers also referred to Moʼorea as York Island or Santo Domingo.