black and grey sand beaches in Haavai and Hane Bays. Culture The island has several archaeological sites as well as interesting natural sites (the "Invisible Bay" of Vaipaee, the bays of Haavei and Hatuana, the "Cave of Footprints" containing a beach where footprints reappear after each tide, etc.). Despite its small population, Ua Huka has no less than six museums, including: the Vaipaee Archaeological Museum: opened in 1989, it contains numerous traditional and handicraft objects, many of them donated by the people themselves (tikis, wood carvings, tapa bark raffia, decorated popoi bowls, bracelets, earrings, shovels, U'u sticks and native stone tools). It also has ethnographic documents, precious testimonies of the Marquesan culture. Hane Sea Museum: has an exhibition of traditional fishing techniques and a collection of canoes from all eras by Joseph Vaatete, the museum's curator. Geological Museum, Hakatu Petroglyph Museum, Hakatu Stone Museum, in Hakatu Garden Forest Museum: located in the arboretum In each village there is also a handicraft exhibition centre. Every year in June, a competition is held among the craftsmen of Ua Huka to copy old objects. This ensures that the ancient techniques of carving and engraving are not lost. Politics and government The island is currently politically part of the Overseas Country (Pays d'outre-mer - POM) of French Polynesia and is therefore affiliated with the European Union. It is administered by a subdivision (Subdivision administrative des Îles Marquises) of the High Commissariat of the Republic in French Polynesia (Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française) based in Papeete. Ua Huka forms an independent municipality (Commune de Ua Huka) with 633 inhabitants (2012). The population density is about 7 inhabitants/km2. The official language is French. There are three villages in Ua Huka, all on the south coast: Vaipaee, Hane and Hokatu. The main village and seat of local government is the village of Vaipaee. Vaipaee is the largest and Hokatu the smallest of the three settlements. The entire northern part of the island is uninhabited. Infrastructure Ua Huka is supplied with goods not produced on the island by a cargo and passenger ship that arrives regularly from Tahiti. The Aranui 5 calls at Ua Huka once a month. This is also the best way for tourists to reach the island. The ship cannot dock at Vaipaee's small pier, so it has to be loaded and unloaded by boats. Opened in 1972, Ua Huka Airport (IATA: UAH,