Mururoa (Mururura, Moruroa), also historically known as Aopuni, (21°50′S, 138°55′W. ) is an atoll which forms part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. An atoll (pronounced /ˈætʌl/ is an island of Coral that encircles a Lagoon partially or completely The Tuamotus or the Tuamotu Archipelago ( French: Îles Tuamotu officially Archipel des Tuamotu) are a chain of atolls in French Polynesia French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions It has been used as a nuclear test site by France.

Contents 1 History 2 Nuclear Testing 3 Administration 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

History

Even though ancient Polynesians knew Mururoa Atoll by the ancestral name of Hiti-Tautau-Mai, there is no firm historical evidence that it has been permanently inhabited.

The first recorded European to visit this atoll was Lieutenant Philip Carteret on HMS Swallow in 1767, just a few days after he had discovered Pitcairn. This is about the British explorer for the colonial governor see Philip Carteret (governor. Carteret named Mururoa "Bishop of Osnaburgh Island".

Nuclear Testing

Mururoa, and its sister atoll Fangataufa, were the site of extensive nuclear testing by France between 1966 and 1996, as well as the site of numerous protests by various vessels, including the Rainbow Warrior. Fangataufa (Fangatafoa is a small low narrow Coral Atoll in the eastern side of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness yield and explosive capability of Nuclear weapons Throughout the twentieth century most nations Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Early career The Rainbow Warrior was built in 1955 in Aberdeen, Scotland as a trawler named Sir William Hardy, and entered service with The atoll was officially established as a nuclear test site by France on September 21, 1962, with the construction of various infrastructures commencing in May 1963. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Direction des Centres d'Experimentation Nucleaires (DIRCEN) was made responsible for the firing of the nuclear shots. The atoll of Hao, 450 kilometers to the north-west of Mururoa, was chosen as a support base for the nuclear tests and other operations. This article is about Hao, in French Polynesia. "Hao" is also the word for a Chinese style name.

The first nuclear test was conducted on July 2, 1966, code named Aldebaran. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Aldebaran ( α Tau α Tauri Alpha Tauri is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky 41 atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted at Mururoa between 1966 and 1974. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Most of these tests were conducted on the western end of the atoll designated as Dindon. Smaller shots were fired on the northern end of the atoll designated as Denise. Three nuclear devices were detonated on barges, three were air dropped from bombers, and the rest were suspended from helium filled balloons. BARGE, the Big August RecGambling Excursion is a yearly convention held in Las Vegas during the first weekend of August A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them Helium ( He) is a colorless odorless tasteless non-toxic Inert Monatomic Chemical A balloon is a flexible bag filled with a type of Gas, such as Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrous oxide or air.

France abandoned nuclear testing in the atmosphere in 1974 and moved testing underground in the midst of intense world pressure. A total of 147 underground nuclear tests were conducted at Mururoa and Fangataufa. Shafts were drilled deep into the volcanic rocks underlying the atolls where nuclear devices were detonated. This practice created much controversy as cracking of the atolls was discovered, resulting in fears that the radioactive material trapped under the atolls would eventually escape and contaminate the surrounding ocean and neighboring atolls. Radioactive decay is the process in which an unstable Atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting ionizing particles and Radiation. A 1979 test conducted at half the usual depth caused a large submarine landslide on the southwest rim of the atoll.

The test site at Mururoa was dismantled following France’s last nuclear test to date, detonated on January 27, 1996, but the atoll is still guarded by the French Forces. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The Military of France encompasses an army, a navy, an air force and a military police force.

Administration

Administratively Moruroa Atoll is part of the commune of Tureia, which includes the atolls of Tureia, Fangataufa, Tematangi and Vanavana. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. Tureia (also called Papahena) is an Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. Tureia (also called Papahena) is an Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. Fangataufa (Fangatafoa is a small low narrow Coral Atoll in the eastern side of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Tematangi or Tematangui is an Atoll in the southeastern area of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. Vanavana, Kurataki, or Huataki is an Atoll in the southeastern area of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. It was ceded to France for nuclear tests in 1964.

See also

• Bengt Danielsson, a member of Kon-Tiki crew; an outspoken critic of nuclear testing
• France and weapons of mass destruction
• Effects of French Nuclear Testing on Gambier Islands
• New Zealand's nuclear-free zone

References

• History
• The Consequences of Underground Nuclear Testing in French Polynesia ATSE Focus - Supplement No 104, November/December 1998
• An Australian Broadcasting Corporation interview with various nuclear scientists on Moruroa
• names

External links

• Classification of the French Polynesian atolls by Salvat (1985)
• Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur la Paix et les Conflits
• France's Nuclear Weapons Program at the Atomic Forum
• Mururoa Veterans

Bengt Emmerik Danielsson (6 July 1921&ndash4 July 1997 was an anthropologist and a crew member on the Kon-Tiki raft expedition from South America to Kon-Tiki is the Raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean France is one of the five "Nuclear Weapons States" under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but is not known to possess or develop any chemical or The Gambier Islands (Îles Gambier or fr ''Archipel des Gambier'' are a small group of islands in French Polynesia, located at the southeast terminus of the Tuamotu In 1984, Prime Minister David Lange barred nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships from using New Zealand ports or entering New Zealand waters

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