France
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
14.0km²
Area
38km
Coastline
441m
Highest point
Mount Duff
1,239
People
27°C
Warmest sea
March
5,600km
To the mainland
When to go to Mangareva
Best for the beach from January to March, in May and in July.
The sea is warmest in March (27 °C) and coolest in September (23 °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.
Central and largest island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia
Mangareva is an volcanic island in France. It belongs to Gambier Islands. It covers 14.0 km², with 38 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Duff, rises to 441 m. About 1,239 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 5,600 km away.
Getting there
- Totegegie Airport (GMR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 9 km in a straight lineCar hire at BES airport (Brest)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries4 ferry terminals on the island
- 5,600 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to March, May and Julybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Mangareva.
- 5viewpointsBelvédère de Piiti, Pointe Tepaeture, Point de vue de Mataiutea and 2 more
- 4ferry terminalsMangareva, Quai aéroport dinghy et ravitaillement par cargo and 2 more
- 4named peaksDuff, Mokoto, Mukotaka and 1 more
- 1ruins and archaeological sitesPuits
- 3hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 2restaurants, 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
Mangareva in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Mangareva, each with its own numbers.
2beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
27.2°C
Baie Reivaru
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 83 m above the sea. 92 % of it is below 200 m.
- 38 %0–50 m
- 54 %50–200 m
- 8 %200–500 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.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Rikitea1,103 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Night low (°C) | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
| Rain (mm) | 144 | 104 | 101 | 116 | 127 | 132 | 82 | 92 | 74 | 131 | 148 | 171 |
| Wet days | 18 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 |
| Sun h/day | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.5 | 7.2 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
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 | −0.1 | +0.2 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.3 | −0.6 | −0.4 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.8 |
| 2021 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| 2022 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | +0.2 |
| 2023 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.6 | −0.2 | −0.4 | +0.4 | +0.5 | −0.2 |
| 2024 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | −0.9 | −1.0 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.5 | −0.4 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +0.8 | ±0.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q616662) · 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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