Page 223 - French Polynesia
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Rangiroa
R angiroa is the largest atoll island and one of the largest atolls the coral islets of Rangiroa are likely to become completely sub-
in the world. It has a very large lagoon of over 1000 km2; the merged within the next century. This imminent destruction of the
entire island of Tahiti could fit within the confines of the lagoon. terrestrial environments of the atoll certainly has a fundamental
With a foundational elevation of only two meters above sea level, impact on the human habitants of the atoll. However, as indicat-
Rangiroa appears fragile and impermanent surrounded by the ed by the geological record and the existence of atolls today, the
ocean. People have a tendency to perceive atoll islands as weak coral reef environment will persist.
structures, and with the eminent threat of global sea level rise,
