What is the largest atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago?

The largest atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago is Rangiroa.

Rangiroa is a vast ring of coral islets surrounding a lagoon in French Polynesia. Its lagoon covers about 1,446 square kilometres, while the narrow atoll stretches roughly 80 kilometres long and 32 kilometres wide. The name comes from Tuamotuan words meaning “vast sky.”

The atoll contains about 415 motu, or small coral islands, but only a few are permanently inhabited. Avatoru and Tiputa are the principal settlements, built near the important Avatoru and Tiputa passes. Those channels connect the lagoon with the open Pacific and help make Rangiroa a major diving destination.

Rangiroa was probably settled by Polynesians around the 10th century. Dutch navigators Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten recorded a European visit in 1615–1616, and the atoll later became known for copra, fishing, black pearls and tourism. It is sometimes confused with Fakarava, another famous Tuamotu atoll, but Rangiroa is the archipelago’s largest.