Capital motu: Aquapelagos on urban atolls

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of metropolitan atolls and the urban cultural landscapes (aquapelagos) they create, exploring the potential of the urban atoll concept within urban studies. The capital motus the islands which constitute atoll nations — represent a unique intersection of several fundamental spatial concepts: capitals, cities, islands, and atolls. This article analyzes the nature of capitals within these spatial configurations, their specific characteristics, and whether common patterns exist in the distribution of capital and urban functions in atoll aquapelagos. Atoll nations conceptualize their capitals at a higher hierarchical level: that of the local aquapelago, which geographically corresponds to an entire atoll (e.g., Funafuti, Majuro) or its parts (e.g., South Tarawa). These nations are characterized by a ‘two-tier’ structure where a lower level of nuclear villages, corresponding to local communities, is consolidated at the atoll scale. Together with territorial and maritime components, these villages form a single heterogeneous aquapelago, whose central part functions as the capital. Capital status itself drives urban development, acting as a ‘core of urbanization.’ The complexity of the settlement structure is presented as an urban feature, where nuclear settlements interconnect to form a single urban/capital entity (e.g., Kiribati with Tarawa, Niue with Alofi). This aggregate of communities is thus elevated to a higher hierarchical level and assigned capital status, rather than this status being applied to a single peer settlement.