Eiao
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Eïao is the largest of the extreme northwestern Marquesas Islands. It is located at .
The center of the island is a high plateau, rising on the east side to 576 m (1,890 ft.), much of which has been devastated by herds of feral goats. There is one good anchorage, on the west side of the island, at Vaitahu.
In the late 19th century, the island was briefly used as a prison island, although that enterprise was eventually abandoned because of the frequent droughts, and the difficulty of reliably landing supplies on the island. In the 1970s, the island was the site of extensive French military activity, while it was being explored as a possible site for nuclear testing. The island and its surrounding rocks were declared the Eiao Island Nature Reserve in 1992, as a first step toward protecting the ecosystem, as well as a number of endangered species, some of which are endemic.
In pre-European times, the bodies of chiefs from parts of Te I'i were transported to Eïao for burial.
It was at one time home to a Marquesan tribe called the Tuametaki.
Stone tools, especially adzes, made from Eïao basalt have been found in archaeological sites on other islands, providing evidence for prehistoric interisland voyaging within the chain.
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