long-billed reed warbler (Acrocephalus caffer), the Tuamotu thyllopope (Ptilinopus coralensis) and the rare parrot Vini peruviana. Economy Tikehau has a traditional fishing industry with fish farms located near the Tuheiava Passage, as well as a small pearl farming industry. However, the atoll's economy is mainly based on tourism, developed around the "Tikehau Pearl Beach" resort, whose activity increased with the construction of a 1,200-meter-long airfield in 1977. and 40,000 passengers a year, a third of which are in transit, making it one of the busiest in the Tuamotus. In addition, since 2018, the atoll has had four licensed hydrosurfaces (three in the south of the lagoon, one on the oceanic drop-off) that allow seaplanes to land. Other major sources of income are government-subsidized copra extraction and commercial fishing. There is a bakery, two small stores and a small bar. In 2001, a small sawmill was built with government assistance, where three to five locals find work. There is also a diving center, a luxury hotel and an airport with the IATA code TIH. Transportation Tikehau Airport, located on the southern tip of the atoll, was inaugurated in 1977. There are daily flights to and from Tahiti and other atolls of the Tuamotus. Religion Most of the population, as in the rest of the Tuamotus Islands, follows Christianity as a consequence of the activity of both Catholic and Protestant missionaries. The Catholic church has a religious building on the site known as St. Nicodemus Church (Église de Saint-Nicodème) whose history dates back to 1867, although the present structure was consecrated only in 1992. It depends on the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Papeete with headquarters on the island of Tahiti. Additional photographs and maps Notes References External links Article from Hydrobiologia Atoll names Wilkes Expedition Historical data Birds in Tikehau Tikehau Atoll FP (EVS Islands) Shuttle Image ISS008-E-17132 (Astronaut Photography) Tuamotu Atolls List (Pacific Image) High-resolution picture from the Earth Observatory Atolls of the Tuamotus