Sangihe Islands

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Sangihe Islands
Location of the Sangihe Islands
Location of the Sangihe Islands
Waters Celebes Sea , Moluccas Sea
archipelago Great Sunda Islands
Geographical location 3 ° 0 ′  N , 125 ° 30 ′  E Coordinates: 3 ° 0 ′  N , 125 ° 30 ′  E
Map of Sangihe Islands
Number of islands 50
Main island Sangihe Besar
Total land area 1056 km²
Residents 240,000 (2005)

The Sangihe Islands or Sangir Islands ( Indonesian Kepulauan Sangihe ) are a group of about 50 mountainous and volcanic islands in northern Indonesia , northeast of Sulawesi on the border of the Celebes Sea and Moluccas Sea , roughly halfway between Sulawesi and Mindanao in the Philippines .

Together with the Talaud Islands they form the Sangihe Talaud Archipelago. The islands cover a land area of ​​1056 km². Many of these islands are among the most volcanically active islands in Indonesia and have fertile soils and mountains.

The main islands are Sangihe Besar , Siau , Tahulandang and Biaro . Sangihe Besar Island is 45 km long and 15 km wide. The highest point on the Sangihe Islands is the 1320 m high Awu volcano on Sangihe Besar. On March 2, 1856, an outbreak cost the lives of over 6000 people. South of Mount Awu on the west coast is the port city of Tahuna , the largest city in the Sangihe Islands. Another port city is Tabukang . Between Sangihe Besar and Siau lies the underwater volcano Banua Wuhu , which was last active in 1919. The southernmost volcano of this chain of islands is located on the island of the same name Ruang .

The largest industry is the cultivation and weaving of Manila . Other important branches are fishing, shipping and tourism. The Sangihe Islands are a popular destination for diving tourists . Most of the approximately 240,000 inhabitants (as of 2005) are Christians.

The islands came under Dutch control in 1677 and were part of the Dutch reign of Menado until they were handed over to Indonesia in 1945 . Today they are administered from Manado as part of the North Sulawesi Province (Sulawesi Utara) . They form two administrative districts ( Kabupaten ): The actual Sangihe Islands (Kepulauan Sangihe) in the north and the island of Siau , also Sitaro Islands ( Kepulauan Siau Tagulandang Biaro ) in the south.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition (PDF; 994 kB). International Hydrographic Organization (1953). Retrieved February 7, 2010.

Web links

Commons : Sangihe Islands  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files