Vaitupu
- ISS004-E-5916
- 13 January 2002
- 00:35 UTC
Vaitupu consists of an elongated reef platform with a large central island and a number of smaller islets. The outer reef is bordered by an extensive area of coral pavement which can be up to 700 m wide on the eastern side and averages around 200 m on the western side. At the southern end of the island two passages (Tefuta and Alia Opeti Passages) cut across the coral pavement and connect to an interior lagoon measuring around 1.6 km in length and 750 m across. A smaller lagoon is located at the far northern tip of the island.
All of the minor islets of Vaitupu occur off the south eastern side of the main island — none are visible in this image. They include (from south to north) the Lusamotu Islets, Te Motu Olepa, the Masana Islets and Motutanifa Islet. These islets emerge from the reef flat in areas where there are outcrops of coral rubble and beachrock.