The Smithsonian Institution
Rangiroa is the largest atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, and since the institution of a regular air service, the most accessible; yet in common with other Tuamotuan atolls it has rarely been visited by scientists and is barely mentioned in the literature. Dana (1849) published brief notes following the Wilkes Expedition; but the only full account is that by Agassiz (1903). Agassiz's descriptions are, however, verbose and imprecise, and marred by misinterpretations of major atoll features.