Rote Island ( id, Pulau Rote, also spelled ''Roti'') is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

, part of the East Nusa Tenggara

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of the

Lesser Sunda Islands The Lesser Sunda Islands or nowadays known as Nusa Tenggara Islands ( id, Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara, formerly ) are an archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up ...

. According to legend, this island got its name accidentally when a lost Portuguese sailor arrived and asked a farmer where he was. The surprised farmer, who could not speak Portuguese, introduced himself, "Rote".

Geography

Rote lies 500 km (310.686 miles) northwest of the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n coast and 150 km (105.633 miles) north of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands. The island is situated to the southwest of the larger island of

Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, ...

. To the north is the Savu Sea, and to the south is the Timor Sea. To the west lie Savu and

Sumba Sumba ( id, Pulau Sumba) is an island in eastern Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of , and the population was 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as a ...

. The uninhabited ''Pamana'' (or ''Ndana'') island, just south of Rote, with an area of , is the southernmost island of Indonesia. Along with some other nearby small islands, such as

Nuse Island Nuse Island ( id, Pulau Nuse) is one of the 17,508 islands that comprise the Republic of Indonesia. The island is located in Ndao Nuse District, Rote Ndao Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Geographically, Nuse Island is in the southwest of Rote Isla ...

, Ndao island, it forms the kabupaten (regency) of

Rote Ndao Regency Rote Ndao Regency is a regency in East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia, consisting primarily of the island of Rote, situated south-west of the western tip of West Timor with an area of 978.54 km2, together with minor offshore islands includin ...

, which in 2010 decennial census recorded a population of 119,711. Rote island has an area of . The main town, Ba'a, is located on the northern side of the island. Rote has a good surf area in the south, around the village of Nembrala. For the most part, the island is covered by grassland and palms. This island experiences

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

(''Aw'') with dry months for much of the year because of the dry winds that blow from mainland Australia. The main rainfall usually occurs between November and March. Between 80% to 95% of all rain falls during the wet west monsoon period and with little or no rain falling between July and October. The mean rainfall for Rote Island is around 1,200 to 1,300 mm annually. During the dry season, many streams and rivers run dry and local inhabitants must rely only on wells for their water supplies.

Transportation

There is a daily

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

to the island from Kupang, the provincial capital on

West Timor West Timor ( id, Timor Barat) is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The ...

, which provides transport for local passengers and goods as well as tourists. The trip between Kupang and Ba'a takes around two hours. The ferry leaves at 8.30 AM and costs 80,000

Indonesian rupiah The rupiah ( symbol: Rp; currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia. It is issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. The name " rupiah" is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also informally us ...

Wings Air PT Wings Abadi Airlines, operating as Wings Air, is a scheduled commuter passenger low cost airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The airline operates out of Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar as well as several other airports a ...

operates daily flights between Rote's David Constantijn Saudale Airport and Kupang's El Tari International Airport. Flight time is about 30 minutes. Rote consists of rolling hills, terraced plantations, acacia palm, savanna and some forests.

Economy

The Rotinese depend, like the Savunese, on the lontar palm not only for basic survival but also as a supplement to their income from fishing and jewelry making.

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

is the main form of employment. Fishing is also important, especially in the eastern village of '' Papela'' (east of ''Londalusi'' in the map), which has led to disputes with Australia over the water between them.

Tourist attractions

Rote has many historical relics including fine antique

Chinese porcelain Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from constru ...

, as well as ancient arts and traditions. Several prominent Indonesian figures were born in Rote. A popular music instrument, Sasando, is made of palm leaves. In the eastern part of the island is a pond in Landu Village that has non-poisonous

jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbre ...

. The pond also has a white sandy beach. Rote Island, also known as Rote Ndao, is an island consisting of 96 small islands and 6 of them are inhabited. Many islands have natural beaches and other natural and frequent tourism, but so far only local tourists often come to Rote. 10 of the most famous tourist attractions in Rote that are Bo'a beach, Nemberala beach, Lutu Babatu beach, Falii water located in West Rote, Oesosole beach in East Rote, Termanu stone in central Rote, Laguna Nirwana in Southwest Rote, Oekode Waterfall, Zero Point Rote and Inaoe beach in South Rote.

Culture

The ti'i langga is a traditional hat with a horn-like protrusion at the top that is a symbol of Rote cultural identity. There are many languages spoken on the island, all related to the languages on nearby Timor island. These languages are: Bilba, Dengka, Lole, Ringgou, Dela-Oenale, Termanu, and Tii

Trivia

The critically endangered Rote Island snake-necked turtle is endemic to Rote Island. The US-born Australian scholar,

James J. Fox James Joseph Fox (born 29 May 1940) is an American anthropologist and historian of Indonesia. He was educated at Harvard University (AB 1962) and Oxford University in (Social Anthropology)(B Litt. 1965, DPhil. 1968) where he was a Rhodes Scholar ...

, has written extensively about Rotinese culture.

Gallery

Nusa_Manuk,_Sth_West_Rote.jpg, The Beach on Nusa Manuk (Manuk Island), South West Rote The_Raja_of_West_Rote.jpg, A

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...

(traditional king) of Rote wearing the

ti'i langga Ti'i langga is the wide-brimmed hat found in Rote Island, eastern Indonesia. Rote Island is the southernmost of the inhabited islands of Indonesia, in the island province of East Nusa Tenggara, not far away from Timor. The characteristic feature of ...

Rote drummer.jpg, A Rotenese drummer with traditional hat COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Radja van Korbafo Roti tussen twee lijfwachten in TMnr 10001756.jpg, Korbafo chief with warriors, 1900 UvA-BC 300.329 - Siboga - twee inheemse bewoners van het eiland Rotti (Roti).jpg, Two Rotenese (Koa Fola dan Besi Fola, 1812-1816)