Knowra Gambier Islands Gambier Islands The Gambier Islands are a group of volcanic islands and atolls in southeastern French Polynesia, including Mangareva. They form one of the region’s easternmost archipelagos.
Mangareva : The largest island in the Gambier Islands and the location of Rikitea, the archipelago’s main settlement. Its lagoon, settlement, and history make Mangareva the archipelago’s central island.
Hotspot volcanism : Volcanism caused by magma rising from a relatively fixed mantle source beneath a moving tectonic plate. Hotspot volcanism built the volcanic islands that form the archipelago’s core.
Honoré Laval : A French Picpus missionary who led Catholic evangelization in the Gambier Islands during the nineteenth century. Laval’s mission transformed Mangarevan religious life and political authority.
Black pearl : A cultured pearl produced by the black-lipped pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. Pearl cultivation is a major economic activity in the Gambier lagoon.
Austral Islands : An archipelago in southern French Polynesia, southwest of the Gambier Islands. Both are remote southeastern archipelagos, but the Austral group lies farther west.
Rikitea : The principal settlement of the Gambier Islands, on Mangareva. Rikitea is the administrative and population center of the group.
Coral atoll : A ring-shaped coral reef or island enclosing a lagoon, often formed as a volcanic island subsides. Some Gambier islands are atolls, part of the broader atoll landform type.
Picpus Fathers : Members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a Catholic missionary order. The order directed the mission that spread Catholicism through the Gambier Islands.
Pearl farming in French Polynesia : The cultivation of pearls from black-lipped oysters across French Polynesia’s lagoons. The Gambier Islands are among the territory’s notable pearl-producing areas.
Society Islands : A French Polynesian archipelago that includes Tahiti and the Leeward Islands. The Society Islands are more populous and central to French Polynesia’s administration and tourism.
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