Manuae, Coral atoll in the Leeward Islands, French Polynesia

Manuae is a ring-shaped atoll in the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia, the westernmost of the Society Islands, about 350 km west of Bora Bora. Its reef is a continuous strip of shallow turquoise water edged by a thin white line of sand or surf, enclosing a deeper blue lagoon. The ring has an irregular, roughly triangular outline, with a broad curve on the left and a narrower arm reaching right. The motus rise only a few feet above sea level and cover about 3.5 km2, mostly with coconut palms and scrub.

Samuel Wallis documented the atoll in 1767, noting a settled area on the northern part of the main island. This placed it on European maritime maps for the first time.

The few visitors who reach this atoll may encounter fishermen still working the reefs using traditional methods. The lagoon is now a protected area, which places strict limits on what can be harvested from it.

There are no regular boat services to the atoll, so visitors need to arrange private transport from one of the larger neighboring islands. It helps to plan well in advance and to coordinate directly with local boat operators.

The atoll's lagoon holds beds of up to three or four million oysters, a figure recorded for Manuaʻe's reefs. The same waters were the site of the 1855 wreck of the three-masted ship Julia Ann. The atoll is also called Fenua ʻUra and Putai in Tahitian, and Isla de Pájaros, "Island of Birds", in Spanish.