The Talaud Islands ( Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Talaud'') also spelled Talaur or Talaut, are a group of islands situated about 225 miles (360 km) northeast of Sulawesi, in

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 Guine ...

, north-east of the Sangihe Islands. The Talaud Islands are also the northernmost region of Eastern Indonesia, bordering south of the Philippines' Davao Region. The group, with a total area of 483 square miles (1,251 square km), includes Karakelong (the largest), Salibabu, Kabaruan, and a small number of offshore islets. The seven tiny Nanusa Islands also lie north-east of Karakelong, with

Miangas Miangas or Palmas is North Sulawesi's northernmost island, and one of 92 officially listed outlying islands of Indonesia. Etymology ''Miangas'' means "exposed to piracy", because pirates from Mindanao used to visit the island. In the 16th centur ...

much further north-west. Lokasi Sulawesi Utara Kabupaten Kepulauan Talaud

Geography

Physical Geography

Pantai di Bitunuris, Kepulauan Talaud, Sulawesi Utara

(*)The islands of the Talaud group are: (ordered from South to North) * Kabaruang Island * Salibabu Island * Sara Besar Island (off Salibabu's east coast) * Nusa Dolong and Nusa Topor (off Karakelong's central west coast) * Karakelong Island * the Nanusa Islands: (ordered S to N) Kakalotan Island, Kakarotan Island, Intata Island, Magupu Island, Karatung Island, Merampit Island (largest) and Garat Island *

(not visible on map) Grouping Talaud together with Sangihe, there are 77 islands in the Talaud-Sangihe archipelagos, of which 56 are inhabited. Compared with the Sangihe archipelago, the islands are low lying and forested, with hills rising to 2,231 feet (680 metres). The coast of Karakelong Island is steep except on the southern shore, which is fringed by a wide reef. The region is regularly rocked by large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, as the

Molucca Sea Plate Located in the western Pacific Ocean near Indonesia, the Molucca Sea Plate has been classified by scientists as a fully subducted microplate that is part of the Molucca Sea Collision Complex. The Molucca Sea Plate represents the only known example ...

is being consumed in both directions. A notable earthquake was the 2009 Talaud Islands earthquake, which was felt in the nearby Philippines.

Administration and Population

The islands were declared a

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of North Sulawesi in 2000 as ''Kabupaten Kepulauan Talaud''. Talaud's capital is Melonguane. The population of the Talaud Islands was 94,520 according to the 2020 census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. The total population of the Talaud, Sangihe and Sitaro Islands was 304,600 in 2020.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. Both Sangihe and Talaud have small airstrips serviced by Express Air and Wings Air.Resmikan Bandara Miangas, Sulawesi Utara
- PresidenRI.go.id - 19 Oktober 2016. Talaud Airport also serves as a transit point for flights to

, one of the Indonesia's outlying islands located close to Davao, Philippines.

People and Culture

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Markt te Siaoe Talaud-eilanden TMnr 10002728

Most of the population are involved in

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 t ...

, which includes coconuts, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves,

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

and ironwood as well as copra and

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

. Numerous

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

es produce very fertile volcanic soil on many of the islands. Fishing is also an extremely important aspect of Talaud livelihood, culture and economy. The Austronesian Talaud language is spoken on the islands by the native ethnic group, the Talaud. Christianity is the majority religion of the islands (protestantism).

Biodiversity

The Talaud Islands are a hotspot of endemism and zoological diversity, and are situated in the Sulawesi lowland rain forests ecoregion. Endemic mammals include the endangered Talaud flying fox (''Acerodon humilis),'' the critically endangered Talaud bear cuscus (''Ailurops melanotis''), the endangered

Short-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat The short-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat or the short-tailed Talaud melomys (''Melomys caurinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Karakelong and Salebabu in the Talaud Islands in Indonesia where it occurs in fore ...

(''Melomys caurinus''), and the endangered Long-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat (''Melomys talaudium''). Birds endemic to the Talaud Islands include the vulnerable Talaud bush-hen (''Amaurornis magnirostris''), the endangered Talaud rail (''Gymnocrex talaudensis''), the near threatened Talaud kingfisher (''Todiramphus enigma'') and the vulnerable Red-and-blue lory (''Eos histrio''), which formerly lived across the Talaud and Sangihe islands, now restricted only to Karakelang. The Talaud black birdwing (''Troides dohertyi)'' is a butterfly endemic to the Sangihe and Talaud Islands. Sangihe and Talaud were largely deforested by 1920, and there is minimal natural forest remaining on these islands. A survey has been proposed to determine appropriate locations for additional protected areas around remaining forest (Stattersfield et al. 1998). There is a Wildlife Reserve on Karakelong 46.69 km² (95.25 miles²)

References

External links

WWF Sulawesi Lowland Rainforests Ecoregion
{{authority control Archipelagoes of Indonesia Islands of Sulawesi Landforms of North Sulawesi