Although similar deposits exist in Makatea and Nauru, Mataiva inhabitants and ecosystems protection activists have successfully prevented its exploitation for the time being.

The pass at Pahua is only a few feet deep and is not navigable;[4] the 110 m (360 ft.) concrete levee, which connects the two halves of the village, is the longest bridge in French Polynesia.

A number of narrow passages (known in Tuamotuan as hoa'a) along the south-central part of the reef are known as the "Nine Eyes", giving the name to the atoll.

[2] Aside from the rocky coral features, there are also several small islets located within the lagoon serving as a sanctuary and breeding ground for rare maritime birds.

[2] The first recorded European to visit Mataiva was the Russian Admiral and oceanic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, on July 30, 1820 on ships Vostok and Mirni.

On April 14, 1980, the voyaging canoe Hokule'a - a replica of an ancient vessel of the kind that carried native explorers throughout the Pacific - made landfall on Mataiva.