The settlement of the atolls of Tuamotu began towards 100 of our era by Polynesian populations coming from Tonga and Samoa.
They had to learn how to conquer this hostile environment and began an agriculture based on the tubers and continued to practise the high-sea and lagoon fishing.

Fakarava was revealed by Russian hydrographic missions that carried out in central Polynesia (1816-26) by Bellingshausen. This atoll was evangelized by the R.P. Laval in 1849.

According to R.P Hodée, Fakarava was blessed the first church on March 28, 1850. French civil administrator of Tuamotu resided there at the end of the XIXème century and tried to make Fakarava a chief town of Tuamotu.

The arrival of missionaries, the traditional agrarian system, based on the culture of the taro and the ape in deep pits close to the soft lens of water, was replaced by a new coconut tree exploitation.

The monoculture of the coconut, which will have changed the landscape of Fakarava and the atolls of Tuamotu made the paumotus (inhabitants of Tuamotu), enter in world economy. The dried coconuts were saled to the copra manufacture in Tahiti, returning in the composition of the monoi.

However this atoll was chosen by the Unesco with 6 other neighbouring atolls to be a unique biosphere reserve altogether.
Today Fakarava is a chief town of 471 habitats (1996).

Their main ressources are the coconut oil (copra) production, the breeding of mother-of-pearl and black pearl production and tourism.