Masalembu is an island located in the

Java Sea The Java Sea (, ) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South Ch ...

and is the largest island in the

Masalembu Islands The Masalembu Islands () form a small archipelago in the Java Sea to the north of Madura in Indonesia. It is located about halfway between Madura and Borneo, and forms part of the Masalembu district in the Sumenep Regency of East Java. The archi ...

. It is administered by the Masalembu District of the

Sumenep Regency Sumenep is a regency of the East Java province, Indonesia. It has an area of 2,093.47 square kilometres (808.29 sq mi) and an population of 1,143,002 (comprising 552,127 males and 590,875 females) as at mid 2024.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 ...

which is centered on the island of

Madura is an list of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administratively ...

and is made up of two administrative villages of Sukajeruk and Massalima.

Geography

The island measures about 7 km west-east and 6 km north-south, with a total land area of 23.86 square kilometers. It is located halfway between

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 ...

and the island of

, with a distance of about 150 km from either. It is largely flat, with the highest elevation reaching 12 meters above sea level. The interior of the island has largely been taken over by local agriculture. The island has no natural surface freshwater sources and is reliant on groundwater.

Demographics

18,485 individuals (

Statistics Indonesia Statistics Indonesia (), is a non-departmental government institute of Indonesia that is responsible for conducting statistical surveys. Its main customer is the government, but statistical data is also available to the public. Annual surveys c ...

, 2015 estimate) live on the island in 9,158 households, and the population has a

sex ratio A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

of 98.19. Administratively, the locals live in two villages of Massalima (pop. 10,325) and Sukajeruk (pop. 8,160), although the main settlement on the island lies across the two's administrative boundaries.

Economy

Fisheries employ a workforce of about 3,100 and agriculture employs about 1,800.

Coconuts The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

and

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

are the primary crops taking up most of the island's land, with an assortment of vegetables being cultivated as well. Electricity on the island is supplied by diesel generators. 290 families are classified as poor families (i.e. incapable of fulfilling basic needs).

Facilities

State-funded public schools and

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

s are present on the island, providing elementary and high school level education (''SD'', ''SMP,'' and ''SMA''). The only

puskesmas The (), abbreviated as , are government-mandated community health clinics located across Indonesia. They are overseen by the Indonesian Ministry of Health and provide healthcare for the population on sub-district level. The concept was desi ...

of the subdistrict is also located on the island. The island is mainly accessible by boat and ship, requiring a 12-hour trip from

Sumenep Sumenep is a regency of the East Java province, Indonesia. It has an area of 2,093.47 square kilometres (808.29 sq mi) and an population of 1,143,002 (comprising 552,127 males and 590,875 females) as at mid 2024.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 ...

. Boats also provide transportation to other islands in the subdistrict such as Karamian and Masakambing. A government-subsidized pioneer ship service carries passengers and various goods in and out of the island, although service interruptions happen occasionally. An airfield is currently under the process of construction on the southern part of the island, with plans for routine service to and from

Trunojoyo Airport Trunojoyo Airport () is an airport near Sumenep Regency, Sumenep, a city in the Madura Island of East Java, Indonesia. It is named after the Madurese nobleman Trunajaya, who led a Trunajaya rebellion, rebellion in the 17th century against Matara ...

in Sumenep.

References

{{reflist Islands of the Java Sea Islands of East Java Districts of East Java