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½ Poe rava Raroia
| Issuer | French Polynesia › French Polynesia (1957-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2015 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | ½ Poe rava |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the coat of arms of French Polynesia, depicting a stylized double-hulled traditional Polynesian pirogue (outrigger canoe) with decorative lashing rendered in low relief, flanked by two pillars adorned with tiki-style motifs. Radiating lines suggestive of sunrays extend outward from the central device toward the rim. The lower portion of the design is occupied by stylized ocean waves, reinforcing the maritime character of the territory. No legend or inscription appears on this face. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central device depicts a profile view of a Mitsubishi Ki-46 III twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft in flight, rendered in finely detailed low relief facing left. Above the aircraft, the inscription 'ILE RAROIA' is engraved in two lines across the upper field. Below the aircraft, the aircraft type designation 'MITSUBISHI KI-46 III' is inscribed in a straight line. The denomination '1/2 POE RAVA' is displayed prominently in large characters in the lower field, with the date '2015' beneath it. |
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| Additional information |
Raroia is the Tuamotu atoll where Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki raft ran aground in August 1947 after 101 days and roughly 8,000 kilometers at sea from Callao, Peru. The *poe rava* — black pearl — became the economic engine of the Tuamotus from the 1960s onward, when controlled cultivation of *Pinctada margaritifera* transformed subsistence atolls into viable commercial enterprises. Raroia itself sits at the northeastern edge of the archipelago, a low-lying reef where the Kon-Tiki crew survived by scrambling over the coral barrier.