FranceBass IslandsVolcanic island
Rapa Iti
37.9 km² rising to 650 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
37.9km²
Area
68km
Coastline
650m
Highest point
515
People
25°C
Warmest sea
February
5,261km
To the mainland
When to go to Rapa Iti
Best for the beach from December to April.
The sea is warmest in February (25 °C) and coolest in August (20 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from November to June.
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 of the Bass Islands in French Polynesia
Rapa Iti is an volcanic island in France. It belongs to Bass Islands. It covers 37.9 km², with 68 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 650 m. About 515 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 5,261 km away.
Getting there
- FerriesTuhaa Pae IV
- 5,261 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From December to Aprilbest 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 Rapa Iti.
- 1ferry terminalsRapa
- 21named peaksMount Perahu, Namuere, Pukumaru and 18 more
- 2waterfallsVai'i'tata'i
- 11ruins and archaeological sitesTeungarere, Pukumia, Putaketake and 8 more
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 126 m above the sea. 80 % of it is below 200 m.
- 23 %0–50 m
- 56 %50–200 m
- 20 %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).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 23 |
| Night low (°C) | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 |
| Sea (°C) | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| Rain (mm) | 139 | 140 | 178 | 156 | 124 | 164 | 159 | 147 | 114 | 112 | 118 | 174 |
| Wet days | 17 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 |
| Sun h/day | 8.2 | 7.9 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.5 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 7.5 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
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 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.6 | −0.6 | +1.7 |
| 2021 | +2.7 | +1.7 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +1.9 | +2.4 | +0.9 | +1.1 |
| 2022 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +1.4 | +1.9 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.2 | −0.3 | +0.5 |
| 2023 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.3 | −0.7 | −0.6 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.2 | +0.5 | −0.5 | −0.5 |
| 2024 | −0.2 | −0.6 | −0.3 | −0.5 | −0.5 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.2 | −0.4 | −0.9 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +1.7 | +2.1 | +1.3 | +0.8 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.9 | −0.3 | −1.1 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q114832) · 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 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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