Hiri is a small, 3-kilometre-wide forested island immediately north of the island of
Ternate
Ternate (), also known as the City of Ternate (; ), is the
List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city with the largest population in the province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. It was the ''de facto'' provi ...
, in the
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...
of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. It is located at the northernmost part of a chain of volcanic islands off the western coast of
Halmahera
Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coa ...
. It is a conical
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...
which rises to . The island covers 9.72 km
2 and had a population of 2,880 in mid 2023;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kota Ternate Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8271)] it is administered as a district (''kecamatan'') of the City of
Ternate
Ternate (), also known as the City of Ternate (; ), is the
List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city with the largest population in the province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. It was the ''de facto'' provi ...
. Its dominant neighbour to the south is the more active volcano of
Mount Gamalama (1716 m), on Ternate island.
This island was used by
Z Special Unit (Z Force), the mainly Australian special operations group active in this area during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, on April 9–10, 1945, to take the then Sultan of Ternate, Iskander Muhammad Jabir Syah, to safety from the occupying Japanese forces. The Sultan and his family were rowed at night from Ternate across to Hiri Island, where Z Force protected them from the Japanese troops the next day. He and his family were shortly after taken by U.S. Navy
PT boat
A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...
to
Morotai Island.
[
]
References
External links
Volcanological Survey of Indonesia
Volcanoes of Halmahera
Mountains of Indonesia
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