Ua Huka is one of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.

Five researchers found seventeen human skeletons, fishhooks, a harpoon point, net weights and scrapers.

[3] As in other islands of the Marquesas, as population density increased, people settled in the upper reaches of the valleys and, favored by the enclosed location, a strictly stratified tribal society developed.

[4] Archaeological remains of cult and residential platforms are still visible in the Vaipaee, Hanei, Hokatu, Hinaehi and Hane valleys.

He sailed from Marseilles on December 14, 1790, on the newly built merchant ship Solide, rounded Cape Horn and arrived at the Marquesas in June 1791.

Lieutenant Richard Hergest, commander of the Daedalus, the supply ship of the Vancouver expedition, arrived at Ua Huka on March 30, 1792, and christened it "Riou Island".

On June 2, 1842, French Rear Admiral Abel Aubert Dupetit-Thouars took possession of the northern group of the Marquesas for France.

In contrast to the lush, larger islands of the Marquesas, Ua Huka gives a rather arid and forbidding impression, the vegetation is sparse.

A large part of the island is made up of extensive, arid plateaus and deep, fertile valleys in which settlements are also found.

The second caldera, included in the eastern half of the first, reaches 857 meters at Mount Hitikau, the highest point on the island.

In the valleys there are small remnants of the original rainforest, consisting of Hibiscus tiliaceus, Piper latifolium, Pterophylla marquesana, and Metrosideros.

In the west of the island, the rainforest changes to a drier forest, composed mainly of hibiscus, pandanus, guavas and glochidion.

[7][8] Life is richer around the island: giant tortoises in Haavei Bay, sharks, dolphins, manta rays and thousands of seabirds live on the islets.

The Polynesian Ornithological Society "MANU" lists 35 species of birds on Ua Huka, 16 marine and 17 terrestrial, 8 of which are endemic.

The majority of the population, like the other Marquesan Islands, is Christian, as a result of missionary activity by both Catholic and Protestant groups.

Although the primary economic activity remains the production of copra, Ua Huka has rich resources for tourism, including restorations of various archæological sites, museums displaying the former glory of Marquesan civilization, and the preservation of the island's unique flora.

Crafts consist mainly of wood carving, for which the inhabitants of Ua Huka are renowned, which is rather paradoxical given the small area occupied by trees.

The most commonly used species are miro (rosewood), tou (Cordia subcordata), toa (ironwood, for jigsaw puzzles) and sandalwood.

More petroglyphs can be found in the upper, now uninhabited area of the Hane Valley, as well as numerous remains of residential and ceremonial platforms.

There is also a small community museum with an interesting collection of seashells, as well as historical artefacts belonging to the village families.

In Manihina, two kilometres east of the village of Vaipaee, the then mayor Leon Litchlé founded a botanical garden in 1974, the 17-hectare Pupuakeiha Arboretum, where more than 300 species of trees have been planted.

It allows visitors to see how the trees have adapted to the Marquesan soil and to select varieties to reforest the island, and preserves many of the species native to the region.

Of special interest to visitors are the unique large-leaved Marquesas palms (Pelagodoxa henryana) and the collection of more than 100 species of citrus trees.

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.

Ua Huka is supplied with goods not produced on the island by a cargo and passenger ship that arrives regularly from Tahiti.

Opened in 1972, Ua Huka Airport (IATA: UAH, ICAO: NTMU) consists of a single 755 m asphalt runway and is located between the villages of Vaipae'e and Hane.

It is served exclusively by Air Tahiti with small aircraft via Nuku Hiva (flight time approximately 30 minutes).

There are no hotels, but there are a few privately run guesthouses, restaurants, and small shops with a limited range of products, open at the discretion of the owners.

In Vaipae'e, the most populated village, there is a town hall with local administration, a post office (with satellite phone), a first aid station, a nursery and a primary school (école maternelle et primaire).