Balabalagan Islands (also spelled Bala-balakang and historically known as Little Paternoster Islands) are an Indonesian archipelago forming an administrative district of

Mamuju Regency Mamuju Regency is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency () of West Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The regency capital is at Karema, while Mamuju (city), Mamuju town is the capital of West Sulawesi. The population of the regency was 336,879 at the 2010 ...

located in the

Makassar Strait Makassar Strait () is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea. To the northeast, it forms the Sangkulirang Bay south of the Mangkalihat P ...

off the east coast of

Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...

(Borneo), between it and

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

and closer to the former island. The archipelago is also located near the geographic center of Indonesia. In the 19th century, the islands were recorded as numbering 14, with the largest named Sebunkatang; the channels were shallow and unnavigable, but provided a fertile fishing ground for the island natives, called Biajoo. The islands rest on a

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 group ...

, itself placed on an undersea bank which extends out from Kalimantan, presenting a major hazard to navigation; the ''Admiralty Pilot'' has warned that "No vessel should venture among

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

without local knowledge." The islands cover a land area of only 5.31 km² and had a population of 2,201 at the 2020 Census. The official estimate as at mid 2024 was 2,242.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Mamuju Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.7604).

References

External links

List of alternate names

Map including Kepulauan Balangan
{{authority control Archipelagoes of Indonesia Districts of West Sulawesi Landforms of West Sulawesi Underwater diving sites in Indonesia Populated places in Indonesia

See also

References

External links