The Sula Islands Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Kepulauan Sula) is one of the regencies in North Maluku province of Indonesia. It covers a land area of 3,338.67 km2 and consists of two of the three large islands comprising the Sula Archipelago, together with minor adjacent islands. These two islands are Sulabesi (formerly Sanama) and Mangoli (formerly Mangole). The third island, Taliabu, was split off from the Sula Islands Regency in 2013 to form a separate regency.
Sula Islands Regency
Kabupaten Kepulauan Sula | |
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Regency | |
![]() Coat of arms | |
Motto(s): Dad Hia Ted Sua | |
![]() ![]() Sula Islands Regency Location in Sula Islands, Maluku and Indonesia Show map of Sula Islands![]() ![]() Sula Islands Regency Sula Islands Regency (Maluku) Show map of Maluku![]() ![]() Sula Islands Regency Sula Islands Regency (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia | |
Coordinates: 1°52′S 125°22′E | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | ![]() |
Capital | Sanana |
Government | |
• Regent | Hendrata Thes |
• Vice Regent | Zulfahri Abdulah Duwila |
Area | |
• Total | 3,338.67 km2 (1,289.07 sq mi) |
Population (2020 Census)[1] | |
• Total | 104,082 |
• Density | 31/km2 (81/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+9 (IEST) |
Area code | (+62) 921 |
Website | kepulauansulakab |
Pre-Indonesian Independence saw[clarification needed] the Sula Islands also known as the Xulla Islands, with Taliabo as Xulla Taliabo, Sanana as Xulla Bessi, and Mangoli as Xulla Mangola.[2]
Sula Islands Regency comprises twelve districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and populations at the 2010 Census[3] and the 2020 Census.[4] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, and the number of villages (rural desa and urban kelurahan) in each district.
Name | English name | Area in km2 | Population Census 2010 | Population Census 2020 | Admin centre | No. of villages |
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Sulabesi Barat | West Sulabesi | 255.02 | 4,707 | 5,585 | Kabau Darat | 6 |
Sulabesi Selatan | South Sulabesi | 284.00 | 4,298 | 5,545 | Fuata | 5 |
Sanana | 157.36 | 25,183 | 33,994 | Waihama | 11 | |
Sulabesi Tengah | Central Sulabesi | 161.31 | 5,929 | 7,250 | Waiboga | 7 |
Sulabesi Timur | East Sulabesi | 93.71 | 3,100 | 4,350 | Baleha | 6 |
Sanana Utara | North Sanana | 244.78 | 5,675 | 7,622 | Pohea | 7 |
Sulabesi Island | (total) | 1,196.12 | 48,892 | 64,346 | 42 | |
Mangoli Timur | East Mangoli | 395.87 | 4,301 | 5,613 | Waitina | 5 |
Mangoli Tengah | Central Mangoli | 373.83 | 6,381 | 7,644 | Mangoli | 9 |
Mangoli Utara Timur | Northeast Mangoli | 374.75 | 3,777 | 4,735 | Waisakai | 4 |
Mangoli Barat | West Mangoli | 236.29 | 7,084 | 7,198 | Dofa | 7 |
Mangoli Utara | North Mangoli | 431.94 | 10,115 | 9,373 | Falabisahaya | 8 |
Mangoli Selatan | South Mangoli | 329.80 | 4,665 | 5,173 | Buya | 5 |
Mangoli Island | (total) | 2,142.48 | 36,323 | 39,736 | 38 |
The Dutch built a fort on Sanana in 1652. Wallace visited the islands during an ornithological expedition in 1862.[5]
According to government data, Sula Islands Regency's food crops include vegetables, groundnuts, cassava, sweet potatoes, durian, mangosteen and mango. As of 2005[update] 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.
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]
The following species are native to the Sula Islands:
Introduced species include:
Regencies and cities of North Maluku | ||
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Capital: Sofifi | ||
Regencies |
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Cities |
Islands of Maluku | |
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North Maluku province | |
Maluku province |