Sula Islands Regency

Sula Islands Regency
Kabupaten Kepulauan Sula
Coat of arms of Sula Islands Regency
Motto(s): 
Dad Hia Ted Sua
(Unite to Raise Sula)
Sula Islands Regency is located in Sula Islands
Sula Islands Regency
Sula Islands Regency
Location in Sula Islands, Maluku and Indonesia
Sula Islands Regency is located in Maluku
Sula Islands Regency
Sula Islands Regency
Sula Islands Regency (Maluku)
Sula Islands Regency is located in Indonesia
Sula Islands Regency
Sula Islands Regency
Sula Islands Regency (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 1°52′S 125°22′E / 1.867°S 125.367°E / -1.867; 125.367
Country Indonesia
Province North Maluku
CapitalSanana
Government
 • RegentHendrata Thes
 • Vice RegentZulfahri Abdulah Duwila
Area
 • Total
5,213.55 km2 (2,012.96 sq mi)
Population
 (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
 • Total
105,095
 • Density20/km2 (52/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (IEST)
Area code(+62) 921
Websitekepulauansulakab.go.id

The Sula Islands Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Kepulauan Sula) is one of the regencies in North Maluku province of Indonesia. It was originally formed on 25 February 2003, when it encompassed the three large islands comprising the Sula Archipelago, together with minor adjacent islands. However, the largest and most westerly of the three, Taliabu, was split off from the Sula Islands Regency on 14 December 2012 to form a separate regency.

The remaining two islands which now comprise the Regency are Sulabesi (formerly Sanama) and Mangoli (formerly Mangole). The residual regency covers a land area of 5,213.55 km2 and had a population of 85,215 at the 2010 Census[2] and 104,082 at the 2020 Census;[3] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 105,095 (comprising 52,697 males and 52,398 females).[1] The administrative capital is at the town of Sanana on the north part of the east coast of Sulabesi Island.

History

The Dutch built a fort on Sanana in 1652. Wallace visited the islands during an ornithological expedition in 1862.[4]

The Dutch era Fort De Verwachting in Sanana town as it looked in 1921

Pre-Indonesian Independence saw[clarification needed] the Sula Islands also known as the Xulla Islands, with Taliabo as Xulla Taliabo, Sulabesi (originally Sanana Island) as Xulla Bessi, and Mangoli as Xulla Mangola.[5]

Administration

Sula Islands Regency comprises twelve districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and populations at the 2010 Census[2] and the 2020 Census,[3] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages (all classed as rural desa) in each district, and its post code.

Kode
Wilayah
Name of
District
(kecamatan)
English name Area
in
km2
Pop'n
Census
2010
Pop'n
Census
2020
Pop'n
Estimate
mid 2023
Admin
centre
No.
of
villages
Post
code
82.05.03 Sulabesi Barat West Sulabesi 265.99 4,707 5,585 5,834 Kabau Pantai 6 97797
82.05.09 Sulabesi Selatan South Sulabesi 340.62 4,298 5,545 5,731 Fuata 5 97798
82.05.02 Sanana 217.85 25,183 33,994 32,436 Fogi 11 97795
82.05.07 Sulabesi Tengah Central Sulabesi 232.80 5,929 7,250 7,427 Waiboga 6 97799
82.05.08 Sulabesi Timur East Sulabesi 283.53 3,100 4,350 4,444 Balleha 6 97795
82.05.18 Sanana Utara North Sanana 249.01 5,675 7,622 8,307 Pohea 7 97796
Sulabesi Island (total) 1,589.80 48,892 64,346 64,179 41
82.05.01 Mangoli Timur East Mangoli 560.56 4,301 5,613 5,347 Waitina 5 97793
82.05.11 Mangoli Tengah Central Mangoli 691.25 6,381 7,644 8,085 Mangoli 9 97793
82.05.10 Mangoli Utara Timur Northeast Mangoli 811.47 3,777 4,735 4,744 Waisakai 4 97793
82.05.06 Mangoli Barat (a) West Mangoli 416.76 7,084 7,198 7,933 Dofa 7 97793
82.05.13 Mangoli Utara North Mangoli 582.91 10,115 9,373 9,305 Falabisahaya 7 97793
82.05.12 Mangoli Selatan South Mangoli 560.77 4,665 5,173 5,502 Buya 5
Mangoli Island (total) 3,623.72 36,323 39,736 40,916 37

Note: (a) including offshore islands of Pulau Dodoku and Pulau Mancaril.

Economy

According to government data, Sula Islands Regency's food crops include vegetables, groundnuts, cassava, sweet potatoes, durian, mangosteen and mango. As of 2005 the area of agriculturally active land was 24743.56 hectares with production amounting to 33,608.62 tons per year. Taliabu-Sanana District is the main producer of cloves, nutmeg, cocoa, copra and other coconut products. Fishery production is very diverse with and estimated sustainable potential of 40,273.91 tonnes per year of which only 22.8 percent is currently exploited. Forestry is considered a potential industry with the natural forest-based Classification Map TGHK RTRWP suggesting a forest area of 471,951.53 hectares, but much of this is protected or hard to access, due to steep slopes and transportation logistics, and the islands' main plywood company, PT Barito Pacific Timber Group (in Falabisahaya, West Mangoli) has closed. Industrial activity is very limited. There is a gold mine in East Mangoli District (at Waitina and Kawata) and coal mines are located in the peninsula of West Sulabesi District, East Taliabu and Sub Sanana (Wai Village Ipa). Reserves of coal are estimated around 10.4 million tonnes.

Tourism

The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) is ready to support the promotion of tourism destination potential on Sula Islands. Demographically located between the crossroads of Wakatobi and Raja Ampat tourist areas, it is ideally developed as marine tourism and special interest tourism for diving enthusiasts.

One of the support is Maksaira Festival at Wai Ipa Beach to Bajo Village Beach. On 2018 the festival as a cultural and marine tourism attraction event has entered the third year and will be listed as MURI record breaking for the largest grouper fishing participant targeted by 3000 participants in 2018, where year 2017 followed by 1700 participants.[6]

Fauna

The following species are native to the Sula Islands:

Introduced species include:

References

  1. ^ a b c Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Kepulauan Sula Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8205)
  2. ^ a b Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  4. ^ Wallace, Alfred Russel (1862). "2. List of Birds from the Sula Islands (east of Celebes), with Descriptions of the New Species". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 30: 333–346. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1862.tb06537.x.
  5. ^ Goodall, George (Editor)(1943) Philips' International Atlas London, George Philip and Son map 'East Indies' pp.91-92
  6. ^ "Government Supports Tourism Promotion in Sula Islands". Lelemuku.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  7. ^ "More Indonesian bird species nearing extinction". 11 June 2011.