Weh Island (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: Pulau Weh), often known as Sabang after the city of which the island is administrated, is a small active volcanic island to the northwest of Sumatra, 45 minutes by fast regular ship or 2 hours by ferry from mainland, Banda Aceh. It was originally connected to the Sumatran mainland and became separated by sea after the volcano's last eruption in the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

era. The island is situated in the Andaman Sea. The island is known for its ecosystem; the Indonesian government has declared of inland and sea around the island as a wildlife protection area. A rare

megamouth shark The megamouth shark (''Megachasma pelagios'') is a species of deepwater shark. It is rarely seen by humans and is the smallest of the three extant filter-feeding sharks alongside the relatively larger whale shark and basking shark. Since its d ...

species was found on shore and the island is the only habitat for the threatened toad, '' Duttaphrynus valhallae'' (formerly ''Bufo valhallae'').

Coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

areas around the island are known for their large variety of fish species.

Geography

Weh Island is located in the Andaman Sea, where two groups of islands, the Nicobar Islands and Andaman Islands, are scattered in one line from Sumatra to the north up to the

Burma plate The Burma Plate is a minor tectonic plate or microplate located in Southeast Asia, sometimes considered a part of the larger Eurasian Plate. The Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, and northwestern Sumatra are located on the plate. This island arc ...

. The Andaman Sea lies on an active moving small

tectonic plate Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large te ...

(microplate). A complex geological fault system and volcanic arc islands have been created along the length of the sea by the movement of the microplate. The island lies about off the northernmost tip of Sumatra. The island is small at only , but mountainous. The highest peak is a

fumarolic A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volc ...

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 ...

, high. The last known eruption is estimated to have occurred in the

age, as a result which the mountain partially collapsed and was filled by the sea, forming a separate island. At a depth of , close to Sabang city, underwater fumaroles emerge from the seabed. At Gapang Beach (Gapang is name of a kind of a tree), one hour from Balohan Port to the west, there are also underwater fumaroles which are suitable for diving and are called Hydrothermal Point. A

volcanic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and ...

is found in the jungle. There are three solfatara (

mudpot A mudpot, or mud pool, is a sort of acidic hot spring, or fumarole, with limited water. It usually takes the form of a pool of bubbling mud. The acid and microorganisms decompose surrounding rock into clay and mud. Description The mud of a mud ...

) fields on the island: one is southeast of the summit and the others are and northwest of the summit, on the western shore of Lhok Perialakot bay. There are four

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

s surrounding Weh Island: Klah, Rubiah, Seulako, and Rondo. Among those, Rubiah is well known for diving tourism, because of its coral reefs. When traveling to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

was only possible by sea, Rubiah was used as a place of

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

for Indonesian Muslims during the Hajj pilgrimage season.

Inhabitants

Weh Island is a part of Aceh province. A 1993 census reported 24,700 inhabitants. The large majority of the population are Acehnese and the remaining are

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...

, Javanese, Batak and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

. It is unknown when the island was first inhabited. Islam is the main religion, as Aceh is a special province where Sharia law has been applied exclusively for the province. However, there are some

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

s on the island. They are mostly Javanese, Batak and Chinese. On 26 December 2004, a 9.1–9.3 undersea

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

struck in the Andaman Sea. The

triggered a series of

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

s that killed at least 130,000 people in Indonesia alone. The effect on the island was relatively small, but it is unknown how many of its inhabitants were killed by the event.

Economy

The economy on Weh Island was dominated by

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 ...

. The main products were cloves and coconuts. Small-scale fisheries operate in the area, and fishermen have used explosives and

cyanide fishing In respect of fishing techniques, cyanide fishing is a specific method of collecting live fish, mainly for use in aquariums, which involves spraying a sodium cyanide mixture into the desired fish's habitat in order to incapacitate the fish. This ...

extensively. Therefore, since 1982, a wildlife protection area (''suaka alam'') has been declared by the Indonesian government that includes inland and of surrounding sea. As of 2021, Sabang city's economy and consequently the island itself has since diversified with much of it being dominated by construction, trading, and service sectors. Each year, 50,000 vessels pass through Malacca Strait. In 2000, the Indonesian government declared Sabang a Free Trade Zone and Free Port, to gain economic benefit by establishing the port as a logistic hub for international vessels passing through the strait. Infrastructures for a deep water harbour, port,

warehousing A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, tow ...

and refuelling facilities, were developed. Weh Island is served by the Maimun Saleh Airport located in Sabang. Currently there is no airlines serving that airport. Thus, the nearest airport to get into Sabang is the

Sultan Iskandarmuda Airport Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport ( Indonesian: ''Bandar Udara Internasional Sultan Iskandar Muda'', Acehnese: ''Bandar Udara Antar Nanggroë Sultan Iskandar Muda''), also called Banda Aceh International Airport ( Indonesian: ''Bandar U ...

which is located at Banda Aceh. From the airport of Banda Aceh, it's about a half-hour drive to Ulee Lheu, close to the center of Banda Aceh, from where the ferries to Balohan (Pulau Weh's ferry harbour) are leaving. Weh Island is also known for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

Underwater diving Underwater diving, as a human activity, is the practice of descending below the water's surface to interact with the environment. It is also often referred to as diving, an ambiguous term with several possible meanings, depending on contex ...

, hiking through the volcanic mountain and beach resorts are the main attractions. A small village, Iboih, is known as a location for

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

. A few meters from Iboih is the Rubiah islet that is known for its coral reefs. There are also several dive operators in Gapang.

Ecosystem

During 1997–1999, Conservation International conducted a survey of the coral reef in the area. According to the survey, the coral diversity is relatively low, but fish species variation is rich. Some species found during the survey include '' Pogonoperca ocellata'', '' Chaetodon gardneri'', '' Chaetodon xanthocephalus'', '' Centropyge flavipectoralis'', '' Genicanthus caudovittatus'', '' Halichoeres cosmetus'', '' Stethojulis albovittatus'', '' Scarus enneacanthus'', '' Scarus scaber'' and '' Zebrasoma desjardinii''. 2004 indian ocean earthquake details

On 13 March 2004, a specimen of a rare and unusual species of shark,

, was washed ashore on Gapang beach. The megamouth shark has a distinctive large mouth, very short snout and is broadly rounded in dorsal view. The specimen is said to be the 21st (some say it is the 23rd) sighting of the species since its discovery in 1976. The male shark, measuring in length and weighing 13.82 kg (30.5 pounds), was frozen and sent to the

Indonesian Institute of Sciences The Indonesian Institute of Sciences ( id, Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, or LIPI) was the governmental authority for science and research in Indonesia. It consists of 47 research centers in the fields ranging from social to natural scien ...

(LIPI) for further scientific study. , there have only been 36 findings of megamouth sharks in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

oceans. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami affected the island's ecosystem. At Iboih village, a large swath of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

was destroyed. Debris from the land was deposited on the nearby reefs as a result of the tsunami. In 2005, about 14,400 mangrove

seedling A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embryo ...

s were replanted to save the mangrove forest. Apart from underwater ecosystem, Weh island is the only habitat of one threatened species of

toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

, '' Duttaphrynus valhallae'' (formerly ''Bufo valhallae''). The species is only known from the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

from the island. Due to heavy deforestation on the island, the survival of the species is uncertain.

Sabang International Regatta

Sabang International Regatta was held on September 13 to 25, 2011. The participants were expected from Australia,

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and

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Tourism

Weh Island is a small island and some beaches can be visited in one day only by rental vehicles, because there is no public transport. * Anoi Itam Beach, with its black sandy beach, is a half-hour drive from Balohan Port. For a small fee, a visitor can enter Anoi Itam Resort. * Gapang Beach is from Sabang or a 45-minute drive and is convenient for backpackers with white sandy beach, modest culinary stalls and accommodations. There are several diving resorts. * Iboih Beach, from Gapang Beach is the busiest beach in Weh Island. The white sandy beach itself is only long, with Rubiah Island directly offshore from it.

References

External links

Official site
{{Recreational dive sites, reereg Stratovolcanoes of Indonesia Subduction volcanoes Volcanoes of Sumatra Mountains of Sumatra Underwater diving sites in Indonesia Islands of Aceh Pleistocene stratovolcanoes