Bawean
Bawean | ||
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Sangkapura Harbor, Bawean | ||
Waters | Java lake | |
Geographical location | 5 ° 46 ′ S , 112 ° 40 ′ E | |
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length | 18.5 km | |
width | 11 km | |
Highest elevation | 650 m | |
Residents | 65,000 | |
main place | Sangkapura |
Bawean ( Sanskrit for sunlight ) is an island in the Malay Archipelago that belongs to Indonesia .
Geography and topography
Bawean is located under 5 ° 51'18 " south latitude and 112 ° 38'52" east longitude about 200 km north of Surabaja in the Java Sea between Java and Borneo . The island is 18.5 km long and 11 km wide. A closed road runs parallel to the coast. The island is dominated by a single extinct volcano , the summit of which rises to 650 m and which contains the Telaga Kastoba crater lake. The beaches feature white sand, with smaller pools of water that linger during low tide , and mangrove forest .
Bawean is surrounded by coral reefs and small sand islands.
The island has around 65,000 inhabitants, 40,000 of whom are in the largest city of Sangkapura , the rest is spread across smaller towns scattered around the island.
Language and culture
As part of Indonesia, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the official language, but a local dialect related to Madurese is spoken .
Bawean is also known as the “island of women”, since most men are often absent as sailors on merchant ships for a long time. It is said, “You are not really a man on Bawean unless you have spent a few years abroad.” Many residents of the island have returned from Europe, China, Japan, North and South America.
Religion is the Islam , mixed with animist and shamanic embossed local religion . It is generally believed that people who swim in the Teraga Kastoba crater lake will be cursed and will soon die.
economy
Men who are not absent on merchant ships work either as fishermen or as farmers. The main food source is rice , which is grown on the gently sloping slopes.
Most of the houses on the island have no running water or electricity. There is an internet cafe in Sangkapura.
Flora and fauna
Cultivated fruits are mangosteen , durian , merah mudah (red fruit) and various types of bananas .
The Bawean deer ( Axis kuhlii ) is native to Bawean and is only found here on the island. Likewise the Bawean pustular pig ( Sus blouchi ). There used to be a breed of horse that was so small that only children could ride it. Due to the high export of these horses, they died out in the 20th century .