South Halmahera Regency (; ) is a

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

North Maluku North Maluku (; ) is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. It shares marit ...

Province,

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 lies partly on

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 ...

Island (occupying most of the southern peninsula of that island) and partly on smaller islands to the west and south of Halmahera. It covers a land area of 8,779.32 km², and at the 2010 Census it had a population of 198,911 people,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. while the 2020 Census showed that this had risen to 248,395Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. and the official estimate in mid 2024 was 258,564 (comprising 133,453 males and 125,111 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8204) The capital lies at the town of Labuha on Bacan Island.

Islands

Besides the southern part of Halmahera Island, the regency includes a number of archipelagoes and islands. These comprise: *

Obi Islands The Obi Islands (also known as Ombirah, Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Obi'') are a group of 42 islands in the Indonesian province of North Maluku, north of Buru and Ceram, and south of Halmahera. With a total area of 2,817.72 km2, they had a pop ...

, including

Obira Obi (also called Obira) is the main island in the Obi Islands group of Indonesia, south of the larger Halmahera in North Maluku. Its area is 2,542 km². The island is eponymous to the Obi Island Birdwing, an endemic Endemism is the ...

(main), Bisa, Obilatu and other small islands, comprising in all five ''kecamatan'' with 55,010 people in mid 2024.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8204) *

Bacan Islands The Bacan Islands (; ), formerly also known as the Bachans, Bachians, and Batchians, are a group of islands in the Moluccas in Indonesia. They are mountainous and forested, lying south of Ternate and southwest of Halmahera. The islands are admi ...

, including: ** Bacan Island itself, comprising 7 ''kecamatan'' with 89,816 people (in mid 2024) ** Bacan Lomang Island, comprising 1 ''kecamatan'' with 7,808 people **

Mandioli The Bacan Islands (; ), formerly also known as the Bachans, Bachians, and Batchians, are a group of islands in the Moluccas in Indonesia. They are mountainous and forested, lying south of Ternate and southwest of Halmahera. The islands are admi ...

, comprising 2 ''kecamatan'' with 10,912 people ** Kasiruta, comprising 2 ''kecamatan'' with 11,024 people *

Kayoa Kayoa (also Kaioa), or in the native language Pulau Urimatiti, is a group of 66 islands, part of the Maluku Islands. It is located in South Halmahera Regency, part of North Maluku Province of Indonesia. Geography The Kayoa Islands are near the ...

Group, comprising 4 ''kecamatan'' with 21,996 people *

Makian Makian (also Machian), known to local people as Mount Kie Besi, is a volcanic island, one of the Maluku Islands within the province of North Maluku in Indonesia. It lies near the southern end of a chain of volcanic islands off the western coast ...

, comprising 2 ''kecamatan'' with 12,323 people * the southern peninsula of

Island (the area is known as Gane), comprising 6 ''kecamatan'' with 49,674 people in 2024 (including the Joronga Islands off the southern tip of Halmahera Island).

Administration

The regency is divided into thirty

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(''kecamatan''), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census, together with the official estimates for mid 2024.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8204) The table also includes the name of the administrative centre and the number of

administrative village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

s (all classed as rural ''desa'') and of named islands in each district and its post code. Notes: (a) except for Bobo ''desa'', which has a postcode of 97792. (b) formally called Kepulauan Batanglomang; situated between Bacan and Mandioli Islands.
(c) includes Lata Lata Island (27.9 km², with 1,201 inhabitants in 2020), located to the northwest of Kasiruta Island, and comprising two ''desa'' - Lata Lata and Sidanga.
(d) Kayoa Barat (essentially Pulau Muari, but also includes the four small offshore islets of Pulau Guaigo, Pulau Guaigo Kecil, Pulau Intan and Pulau Tamotamo) actually lies closer to Kasiruta Island than to the rest of the Kayoa group; it is geographically adjacent to Lata Lata Island, part of Kasiruta Barat District.
(e) Makian Island is a stratovolcano, like the islands to the north of it (such as

Moti Moti or MOTI may refer to: Names * Mordecai (disambiguation), a Hebrew given name, abbreviated Moti * Motilal (disambiguation), an Indian given name often abbreviated Moti People * Moti (DJ) (Timotheus "Timo" Romme, born 1987), Dutch DJ and ...

Mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

Tidore Tidore (, lit. "City of Tidore Islands") is a city, island, and archipelago in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia, west of the larger island of Halmahera. Part of North Maluku Province, the city includes the island of Tidore (with three sm ...

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 ...

and Hiri), and unlike those to the south (like Kayoa and the Bacan Islands).
(f) comprising the villages (''desa'') of Gonone, Kukupang, Kurunga, Liboba Hijrah, Pulau Gala, Tawabi and Yomen; the largest islands are ''Pulau Damar'' (or Kukupang) and ''Pulau Yoruga'' (or Joronga Island).
(g) includes the Widi Islands off the east coast of the Gane Peninsula.

Languages

The various

South Halmahera languages The South Halmahera languages are the branch of Austronesian languages found along the southeast coast of the island of Halmahera in the Indonesian province of North Maluku. Most of the languages are only known from short word lists, but Taba ...

are a branch of Austronesian languages.

Economy

South Halmahera has been designated by provincial governor

Abdul Ghani Kasuba Abdul Ghani Kasuba (21 December 1951 – 14 March 2025) was an Indonesian politician and the governor and lieutenant governor of North Maluku. Kasuba denoted South Halmahera Regency as a region he wanted to develop as the province's tourism hub ...

as a region for tourism development. The Widi International Fishing Tournament was founded for this purpose. Kasuba also successfully negotiated for the China-based Jinchun Group to build a nine-trillion rupiah nickel smelter in the Obi Islands.China`s Jinchun to in vest Rp9 trillion in North Maluku
Antara, 16 July 2016. Accessed 18 September 2017.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Regencies of North Maluku Halmahera