It lies in the east-northeast part of the Gambier (commune), about 72 km northeast from Maria Atoll.

Marutea Atoll is irregular in shape and bound by a reef broken by passes into the 112 km2 (43 sq mi) lagoon.

Its islands are low and flat and the main village, Auorotini, is located at the northern end of the atoll.

Marutea Sud should not be confused with Marutea Nord located in the western area of the Tuamotu Archipelago at 17˚ 07' S, 143˚ 11' W. The first recorded European to sight this atoll was Spanish explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 4 February 1606.

According to Russian Admiral Adam Johann von Krusenstern Marutea was once inhabited by the ancient Polynesians.