Tukangbesi Islands, is a group of islands off the coast of Sulawesi immediately east of

Buton Buton (also Butung, Boeton or Button) is an island in Indonesia located off the southeast peninsula of Sulawesi. It covers roughly 4,727 square kilometers in area, or about the size of Madura; it is the 129th List of islands by area, largest is ...

island in the

Banda Sea The Banda Sea (, , ) is one of four seas that surround the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, connected to the Pacific Ocean, but surrounded by hundreds of islands, including Timor, as well as the Halmahera Sea, Halmahera and Ceram Seas. It is about ...

region, and part of

Sulawesi Tenggara Southeast Sulawesi (, ; often abbreviated to Sultra, ), is a province on the island of Sulawesi, forming the southeastern peninsula of that island, together with a number of substantial offshore islands such as Buton, Muna, Kabaena and Wawoni ...

. The main islands are Wangiwangi Island, Kaledupa Island, Tomia Island, and Binongko Island, commonly abbreviated as Wakatobi and now under one administration,

Wakatobi Regency Wakatobi Regency is a group of ''ca.'' 150 islands forming an administrative regency located in Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. The four largest islands are Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko. The capital of the regency is locate ...

. "Tukang Besi" literally means "iron worker" or "blacksmith" in

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 ...

. This archipelago is called "tukangbesi" (blacksmith) because this archipelago is famous for making the best traditional

keris The kris or is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight ...

which are still produced today. There is a Tukang Besi language. Separating

and the group is the Gulf of Kolowana Watabo. Islands in the group: * Wakatobi Islands ** Northwest: Wangiwangi Island, Kambode, Kampenane, Timor ** North Central: Kaledupa, Hoga, Linea Island, ** South Central: Tomea Island, Tomea, Talondano, Lineta, Binongko * Eastern outliers: Moromaho, Cowocowo, Kentiole, Runduma, Anano * Western

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

s. Karang Kapota, Karang Kaledupa * Eastern atolls: Karang Koromaha, Karang Kadupa * Langkesi islands (''Kepulauan Langkesi'') so the northeast. The town of Papalia, Indonesia, is on Binongko.

References

{{authority control Archipelagoes of Indonesia Islands of Sulawesi Landforms of Southeast Sulawesi Populated places in Indonesia

See also

References