Manuae, Uninhabited atoll in Cook Islands, South Pacific Ocean.
Manuae is an uninhabited atoll in the southern Cook Islands, made up of two small curved islets surrounded by a coral reef that encloses a shallow central lagoon. The two islets sit at opposite ends of the reef, with open ocean on the outside and calm, clear water on the inside.
European sailors in the late 1700s gave the atoll several different names before the current one took hold. It has remained without permanent settlers ever since, and today it falls under the management of the Cook Islands government as a protected area.
The name Manuae comes from an older form, Manu-enua, given by a figure named Ruatapu in Cook Islands oral tradition, who is said to have brought coconuts and birds to the land. Today, the atoll carries this story in its name, even though no one lives there permanently.
Reaching the atoll requires a private boat, most often departing from Aitutaki, since no scheduled services run there. There are no facilities of any kind on the atoll, so visitors need to bring everything they need for the duration of their stay.
The waters around the atoll are a breeding ground for seabirds and marine turtles that travel across the central Pacific to nest there. This makes the site one of the few places in the region where large numbers of these animals gather without human disturbance.
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