Beras Basah Island is a small
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
located in the
Straits of Makassar
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 Pe ...
and approximately east of the coast of
Borneo
Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
. Administratively, this island is under the
City of Bontang government and
the Province of East Kalimantan. The island is known to be a
tourist destination
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural beau ...
as a
dive site
Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this c ...
that provides tropical
underwater life.
Etymology and history
The origin name of Beras Basah according to local folklore comes from the
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 ...
words ''Beras'' (
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
) and ''Basah'' (
wet). Once upon a time, there was a ship belonging to the
Sultanate of Kutai that was sailing in the Straits of Makassar. The ship carries food which includes rice. The ship arrived - suddenly sank and spilled its luggage. Because the waters where the shipwreck is shallow, the ship's congregation, which is mostly rice, does not sink but appears partly like a mound. Over time the rice mound turns into a white sand island like rice which is always wet because it is surrounded by the ocean.
Transportation access
To be able to visit this island there are several accesses which all come from several piers or ports from Bontang.
The fastest access is via Marina Beach of
Badak NGL pier by using a speed boat which takes approximately fifteen minutes. Alternative access through Tanjung Limau and Tanjung Laut docks using small motorized boats that take approximately one hour.
See also
*
Bontang
Bontang is a city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo in Indonesia, in the province of East Kalimantan. It occupies an area of , and the population was 140,787 at the 2010 census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 178,917 at t ...
*
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 ...
*
List of islands of Indonesia
The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago () or Nusantara, may refer either to the islands composing the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands. Indonesia is the world's largest a ...
References
External links
*
Official website of Bontang
{{Tourist attractions in Indonesia
Landforms of East Kalimantan
Islands of Kalimantan
Bontang