Tubuai Islands

Tubuai Islands, island group in southern French Polynesia (an overseas territory of France), in the South Pacific Ocean, the southernmost island group of the territory. The archipelago, of volcanic origin, extends over a distance of some 1,400 km (850 mi). The largest island in the group is the mountainous Tubuai; its chief town is Mataura. Other islands include Rimatara, Rurutu, Raivaevae, and Rapa. British explorer and navigator Captain James Cook sighted Rimatara and Rurutu in 1769 and Raivaevae and Tubuai in 1777. The islands came under French control between 1850 and 1889. Population 6,509 (1988).