Rimatara (Austral Islands, French Polynesia)

Last modified: 2005-09-10 by ivan sache
Keywords: rimatara | austral islands | cross (red) | canton: france |
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• History and geography of Rimatara
• Flag of Rimatara
• Rimatara, XIXth century

See also:

• French Polynesia
• Austral Islands (French Polynesia)

History and geography of Rimatara

Quoting the website of the Presidency of French Polynesia:

The high island of Rimatara is the furthest west of all the Austral Islands. It is located at 29º39'S by 152º49'. Rimatara covers an area of 8.6 square kilometers. Its tallest point is Mt. Uahu (83m).
Rimatara has a small, very fertile and wooded volcanic plateau surrounded by a fringing reef that rises 8-10 meters high, much like Rurutu.

Rimatara was one of the last islands to welcome its first European visitor. That honor went to Captain Samuel Pinder Henry, who spotted the island in 1811 and dropped off two native missionary teachers in 1821. That led to the creation of a Protestant mission. France established a protectorate on Rimatara in 1889 and annexed the island in 1900.

Female parrots, which, it is said, cannot be exported, are found on Rimatara. There also is an abundance of wild ducks in the marshes.
The 1996 census set the island's population at 929. These people, who essentially earn a living from food crops, are divided up among three villages. They are Amaru, the island's main village (pop. 322), Anapoto (pop. 273) and Mutuaura (pop. 334).

Ivan Sache, 21 August 2005

Flag of Rimatara

The Territorial Government decree of 4 December 1985 governing the display of the flag of French Polynesia stipulates that the flags of the archipelagos and islands of French Polynesia may be flown next to the Territorial and National flags.

The flag of Rimatara, as seen during the opening ceremony of the Inter-Austral Island Games in 2000, is horizontally divided red-white-red with the name of the islands written in red Capital letters in the white stripe.

Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán & Ivan Sache, 28 August 2005

Rimatara, XIXth century

As said above, France established a protectorate on Rimatara in 1889 and annexed the island in 1900.

According to the Flags of Paradise chart [brt96], the old flag of Rimatara (1856-1891, that is before and short after the establishment of the Protectorate) is horizontally divided red-white-red with in the red stripe a red cross made of four triangles.

According to the Flags of Paradise chart [brt96], the flag of the Protectorate of Rimatara (Protectorate 1889-1900; flag dated 1891-1900) is the former flag of Rimatara with the French national flag in canton.

Ivan Sache, 21 August 2005