Faaite
Faaite, or Faaiti is an atoll of the Tuamotus in French Polynesia. It is located to the north of Anaa Atoll. The total surface of the atoll is Its dry land area is. Its length is and its width. The total population as of 2012 is 401 inhabitants.
Faaite's inner lagoon has a navigable channel to the ocean. The main village is Hitianau, with a total population of 246.History
First recorded sighting by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 11 February 1606. It was charted as Decena.
John Turnbull rediscovered it in 1802. Turnbull was the first retailer of the Pacific who used the route of Tahiti to Hawaii.
Russian oceanic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen visited Faaite in 1820 on the ships Vostok and Mirni. He named this atoll "Miloradovich".
This atoll reached a measure of fame after the "Bûchers de Faaite" affair. On September 2, 1987 six persons were thrown into the fire because the islanders were convinced that they were possessed by the devil.
There is a territorial airfield in Faaite which was inaugurated in 1992.Administration
Administratively Faaite belongs to the commune of Anaa, which includes the inhabited atoll of Faaite and the uninhabited atolls of Tahanea and Motutunga.
