Bass Islands (French Polynesia)

The Bass Islands, known in French as Îles Bass, are the southernmost islands of French Polynesia, made up mainly of Rapa Iti and Marotiri and lying several degrees south of the tropical zone in the South Pacific. Both islands are volcanic, though their volcanism is thought to be considerably more recent than that of the neighboring Austral Islands. Together they cover about 40.6 square kilometers, almost all of it the 38.5 square kilometer Rapa Iti, the only inhabited island, home to roughly 530 people and rising to 650 meters; Marotiri, at just 0.043 square kilometers, is a group of four uninhabited volcanic rocks that forms an important bird sanctuary. Rapa Iti's isolation allowed its own Rapan language and culture to diverge from other Polynesian settlements after its original colonization.