Takutea
- ISS002-E-9922
- 18 July 2001
- 23:03 UTC
Takutea, located 23 km northwest from Atiu, is a small coral island of 1.5 km² in area rising to 6 m above sea level. A shallow water reef system surrounds much of the island and extends for around 3 km offshore on the southeastern side; closer to shore, a fringing reef wraps around the entire island. The interior is thickly wooded with Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) and significant stands of Pisonia grandis; areas of scrub-type vegetation are also present. Takutea is uninhabited and is maintained as a wildlife sanctuary.
The wildlife sanctuary on Takutea helps to conserve the largest Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) population found in the Central Pacific region. Other seabirds breeding on the island in regionally significant numbers include Red-footed Booby (Sula sula), Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra), Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), and the Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor).
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center