Tuamotu Islands

Tuamotu Islands, group of 75–80 small islands and atolls spanning nearly 1,000 mi (1,609 km) in the South Pacific Ocean. The first European to see the islands (1606) was Pedro Fernandes de Queivós, a Portuguese explorer in the service of Spain. Annexed by France in 1881, the islands now are part of French Polynesia. About 11,000 Polynesians inhabit the Tuamotu Islands, making their living primarily from the sale of pearls and coconut oil.