North Minerva Reef

 island  Add category

 Upload a photo

The Minerva Reefs are a group of reefs located in the Pacific Ocean south of Fiji and Tonga. The reefs were named after the whaleship "Minerva", was wrecked on what became known as South Minerva after setting out from Sydney in 1829.
(Round-shaped) North Minerva offers the more protected anchorage, with a single, easily negotiated, west-facing pass that offers access to the large, calm lagoon with extensive sandy areas. South Minerva's shape is similar to an infinity symbol, with its eastern lobe partially open to the ocean on the northern side.
Tonga annexed the Minerva Reefs (also called Teleki-Tonga and Teleki-Tokelau) on June 15, 1972. The move was recognised by the South Pacific Forum in September 1972. More recently Fiji has made it clear that they do not recognize any maritime water claims by Tonga based on Minerva Reefs under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) agreements [above from wikipedia.]