The story of an unusual small island

Maiao Atoll is a small island of less than nine square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean.

It is located 100 kilometers west of Tahiti, its highest point rises 154 meters above sea level, and was presented by the Earth Observatory based on a photograph taken aboard the ISS. There are also two large lakes on the tiny island, the size of the island, Roto Rahi and Roto Iti, whose water is very salty due to high evaporation - more salty than seawater - and is connected by a small canal. The connection between the lakes and the sea is almost symbolic, National Geographic reports.

In the middle of the island stretches the hill called Ravae, the highest point of the island: 154 meters.

Only 354 live on the island of Maiao in the village of Tāora O Mere. His first visitor to Europe was Captain Samuel Wallis, in 1767.

The small island is surrounded by a brilliant blue water lagoon typical of Polynesia, bordered by a coral reef. Nevertheless, the islanders do not consider tourism as their main source of livelihood, but the cultivation of palm and coconut and the traditional Polynesian way of life. The place belongs to a large protected marine area in French Polynesia, fishing for the subsistence and sale of the inhabitants, maintaining their traditional way of life. There are no hotels, no airports, and the port, which can only accommodate small boats, is located in a remote corner of the island.

Although the island can be visited, tourists cannot sleep on the island, only on the boat that transported them there. During the day you can go hiking, enjoying the beach or just diving in the lagoon.

The sale of alcohol has been banned on the island since the 1930s, and only the mayor may possess alcohol, limiting its consumption to certain festive events.

(Source: marmalade.co.uk; hirado.com | Image: pixabay.com)