FranceMarquesas IslandsVolcanic islandUNESCO World Heritage
Hiva-Oa
309 km² rising to 1,213 m out of the Pacific Ocean.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
309km²
Area
204km
Coastline
1,213m
Highest point
Temetiu
2,371
People
29°C
Warmest sea
April
4,794km
To the mainland
When to go to Hiva-Oa
Best for the beach from July to October and in December.
The sea is warmest in April (29 °C) and coolest in September (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in French Polynesia
Hiva-Oa is an volcanic island in France. It belongs to Marquesas Islands. It covers 309 km², with 204 km of coastline. Its highest point, Temetiu, rises to 1,213 m. About 2,371 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 4,794 km away. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Getting there
- Hiva Oa-Atuona Airport (AUQ)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at BES airport (Brest)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 4,794 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to October and Decemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Hiva-Oa.
- 6beaches
- 8viewpoints
- 1ferry terminals
- 22named peaksTemetiu, Teakatau, Tevaitiu and 19 more
- 4waterfalls
- 5ruins and archaeological sitesTe I'ipona, Upeke, Pétroglyphes de Tehueto and 2 more
- 1campsitesPuamau Camping Marquises
- 6hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 7restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Hiva-Oa in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Hiva-Oa, each with its own numbers.
7beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
28.7°C
Punaei
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
7 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Natue28.7°C
- Punaeicove28.7°C
- Hanaavaocove28.7°C
- Anaotiucove28.7°C
- Vaikooicove28.7°C
- Hanaeicove28.7°C
- Matauacove28.7°C
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 365 m above the sea. 30 % of it is below 200 m.
- 6 %0–50 m
- 23 %50–200 m
- 42 %200–500 m
- 27 %500–1,000 m
- 1 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Atuona1,762 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 43 | 38 | 54 | 46 | 43 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 32 | 24 |
| Wet days | 10 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Sun h/day | 9.9 | 9.8 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 9.3 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 10.0 | 10.2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.7 | −0.9 | −0.8 |
| 2021 | −1.2 | −0.8 | −0.2 | −0.3 | −0.5 | −0.4 | −0.5 | −0.4 | −0.2 | −0.5 | −0.5 | −0.7 |
| 2022 | −0.9 | −1.1 | −1.3 | −1.2 | −1.2 | −1.1 | −0.9 | −0.7 | −0.7 | −0.9 | −0.6 | −0.8 |
| 2023 | −0.5 | −0.7 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.2 |
| 2025 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | −0.3 | −0.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q937908) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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