Mangaia

Mangaia

Native name: A'ua'u
NASA picture of Mangaia Island
Map of Mangaia Island
Mangaia Location of Mangaia Island in the Pacific Ocean
Geography
Location	Central-Southern Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	21°55′S 157°57′W / 21.917°S 157.950°W / -21.917; -157.950
Archipelago	Cook Islands
Area	51.8 km2 (20.0 sq mi)
Administration
Cook Islands
Villages	Oneroa Ivirua Tamarua
Demographics
Demonym	Mangaian
Population	499 (2016)

Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means terraced) is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of 51.8 square kilometres (20.0 sq mi), 203 kilometres (126 mi) from Rarotonga. Originally heavily populated, Mangaia's population has dropped by 75% in the last 50 years, mainly due to the decline of the pineapple industry in the 1980s and a subsequent economic crisis in 1996.