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Barat Daya Islands

Coordinates: 7°45′S 126°15′E / 7.75°S 126.25°E / -7.75; 126.25
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Barat Daya Islands
Native name:
Kepulauan Barat Daya
Barat Daya Islands in the south of Maluku Islands
Geography
LocationSoutheast Asia
ArchipelagoMaluku Islands
Major islandsDamar, Kisar, Liran, Romang, Wetar
Administration
ProvinceMaluku
Additional information
Time zone

The Barat Daya Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Barat Daya) are a group of islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia. The Indonesian phrase barat daya means 'south-west'.

Geography

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These islands are located off the eastern end of East Timor. Wetar is the largest island in the group. To the west, the Ombai Strait separates Wetar from Alor Island, part of East Nusa Tenggara. The Wetar Strait separates Wetar from Timor to the south.

Even though included in the Indonesian Maluku province political division, the southwestern islands are geographically part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Rainfall is limited with a dry season between October and December when some of the islands appear as dry savannah.[1] The Barat Daya Islands except Wetar are part of the Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests ecoregion. Wetar and Timor comprise the Timor and Wetar deciduous forests ecoregion.[2] Most of the islands are barren, infertile and minimally forested.[1]

Together with Timor, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, and most of Maluku, the Barat Daya Islands are part of Wallacea, the group of Indonesian islands that are separated by deep water from both the Australian and Asian continental shelves. The islands of Wallacea have never been linked by land to either Asia or Australia, and as a result have few mammals and a mix of flora and fauna from both continents.

Islands

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Among the islands within the archipelago are (from west to east):

Populated places

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Geology

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The islands are part of the Inner Banda Arc, a volcanic island arc created by the collision of the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Romang and Damar are volcanic; Wetar consists mostly of oceanic crust that was pushed to the surface by the colliding plates. The Barat Daya and Banda islands constitute an inner arc; the outer arc, which includes Timor, the Tanimbar Islands, and the Kai Islands, is mostly made up of oceanic crust lifted up by the collision, and wraps around south and east of the inner arc.

History

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Unlike much of the rest of the Maluku Islands, the Barat Daya Islands did not participate in the inter-island trade over the centuries. Damar was the region's only island to have produced spice. Too remote from the centre of the Malukan spice trade, the Dutch destroyed the nutmeg trees on Babar. Bugis and Makarassarese annually sailed to coral-rich Luang to purchase reef products such as trepang and mother of pearl.[1]

Administration

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The Maluku Barat Daya Regency is administratively composed of seventeen districts (kecamatan), whose areas (in km2) and 2013 officially estimated populations are listed below.:[3] The districts are formally grouped into three archipelagoes – the Terselatan Group (including Wetar, as well as Kisar and Romang Islands), the Lemola Group (Letti, Moa and Lakor) and the Babar Group (including the Damer and Sermata Islands). The areas (in km2)[4] and the populations at the 2010 census[5] and 2020 census,[6] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023,[4] are listed below. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 117 rural desa and 1 urban kelurahan – the latter being Tiakur on Moa Island), and its post code.

Kode
Wilayah		 Name of
district
(kecamatan)		 comprising Area
in
km2		 Pop'n
census
2010		 Pop'n
census
2020		 Pop'n
estimate
mid 2023		 Admin
centre		 No.
of
Villages		 Post
Code
81.08.06 Wetar Selatan southern part of Wetar Island 1,157.60 7,916 2,359 2,830 Ilwaki 6 97446
81.08.14 Wetar Barat western part of Wetar Island, plus Lirang Island,
and other islands west of Wetar		 345.70 (a) 2,181 2,732 Ustutun 5 97447
81.08.13 Wetar Utara northern part of Wetar Island, plus Reong Island 677.60 (a) 2,365 3,421 Lurang 6 97449
81.08.15 Wetar Timur eastern part of Wetar Island 470.90 (a) 1,717 2,126 Arwala 6 97448
81.08.07 Kisar Selatan southern part of Kisar Island 65.40 17,899 10,027 10,803 Wonreli 6 97445
81.08.17 Kisar Utara northern part of Kisar Island 18.59 (b) 3,185 3,274 Putihair Timur 3 97441
81.08.16 Kepulauan Roma Romang Islands 194.30 (b) 4,146 4,430 Rumkuda 3 97440
Totals for Terselatan Group 2,930.09 25,815 25,980 29,616 35
81.08.08 Letti Leti Island 90.10 7,526 8,060 9,019 Serwaru 7 97444
81.08.01 Moa Moa Island 361.60 9,138 16,294 18,953 Weet 8 97442
81.08.12 Lakor Lakor Island 112.60 (c) 2,516 2,865 Wewawan 5 97443
Totals for Lemola Group 564.30 16,664 26,870 30,837 20
81.08.02 Damer Damer, plus uninhabited Nus Leur,
Terbang Utara and Terbang Selatan		 201.80 5,560 5,718 6,362 Wulur 7 97128
-97652
81.08.03 Luang Sermata Sermata Islands 125.50 5,269 5,116 6,365 Lelang 11 97652
81.08.04 Babar Barat Babar Island (western half), Dai 359.70 7,752 6,491 7,234 Tepa 9 97451
81.08.05 Babar Timur Babar Island (eastern half) 281.30 9,654 6,012 6,759 Letwurung 11 97654
81.08.09 Pulau Masela Masela Island 46.71 (e) 2,322 2,705 Latalola Besar 11 97653
81.08.10 Dawelor Dawera Dawelor Island and
Dawera Island		 27.06 (e) 1,294 1,476 Watuwey 6 97651
81.08.11 Pulau Wetang Wetang Island 44.60 (d) 2,125 2,412 Rumah Lewang Besar 8 97652
Totals for Babar Group 1,086.679 28,235 29,078 33,313 63

Notes:
(a) the 2010 populations for the four districts which comprised Pulau Pulau Wetar District are listed under Wetar Selatan District.
(b) the 2010 populations of Kisar Utara and Kepulauan Roma Districts are included under the figure for Kisar Selatan District (formerly called Pulau Pulau Terselatan District), from which they were split off.
(c) the 2010 population of Lakor District is included in the figure for Moa District, from which it was split off.
(d) the 2010 population of Pulau Wetang District is included in the figure for Babar Barat District (formerly called Pulau Pulau Babar District), from which it was split off.
(e) the 2010 populations of Pulau Masela and Daweloor Dawera Districts are included under the figure for Babar Timur District, from which they were split off.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Muller, Karl (1997). Maluku: Indonesian Spice Islands. Singapore: Periplus Editions. p. 156. ISBN 962-593-176-7.
  2. ^ Stuart L. Pimm et al. Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: A Conservation Assessment (World Wildlife Fund Ecoregion Assessments), Island Press, 2001, ISBN 9781559639231
  3. ^ Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Maluku Barat Daya Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8108)
  5. ^ Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  6. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.

7°45′S 126°15′E / 7.75°S 126.25°E / -7.75; 126.25

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