Bunguran Island (Indonesian: Pulau Bunguran) or just Bunguran is the main island of the Middle Natuna Archipelago, which is part of the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia. It is also called Great Natuna Island (Pulau Natuna Besar).
Native name: (Pulau Bunguran) | |
|---|---|
 Mount Ranai on Bunguran | |
  Natuna Besar  Natuna Besar  Natuna Besar  Natuna Besar | |
| Geography | |
| Location | South China Sea |
| Coordinates | 03°54′59.74″N 108°12′7.34″E / 3.9165944°N 108.2020389°E[1] |
| Archipelago | Bunguran Islands |
| Area | 1,633[1] km2 (631 sq mi) |
| Length | 58 km (36 mi) |
| Coastline | 359 km (223.1 mi)[1] |
| Highest elevation | 835 m (2740 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Province | Riau Islands |
| Regency | Natuna Islands |
| Largest town | Ranai |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 58,820 (2023) |
| Pop. density | 36/km2 (93/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Malays |
The area of Bunguran is 1,633 km2 (631 sq mi) with a coastline of 359 km (223 mi).[1] The highest point is Mount Ranai at 1,035 metres (3,396 ft). The island had a population of 58,820 inhabitants according to the official estimate for mid 2023. The principal settlement is Ranai. The island can be reached by scheduled air services via Ranai Airport.
The island is home to three species of non-human primates: the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), and the endemic animal on Bunguran Island which is threatened with extinction is the Natuna Island surili (a.k.a. Natuna pale-thighed surili, Presbytis natunae).[2][3]. Two subspecies of mouse deer are also endemic to Bunguran Island, namely the greater mouse-deer ( Tragulus napu bunguranensis ) and the lesser mouse-deer ( Tragulus kanchil everetti ).[4] A small number of wild goats live on the island as well as sea birds. Over 360 species of bird have been recorded on the island.[5]
There is a large mosque in the north-east corner of the island. The Grand Mosque of Natuna was built over two years from 2007 to 2009.[6]
On December 18, 2018, Indonesian Armed Forces opened a naval military base with over 1,000 personnels on Bunguran Island.[7]
Bunguran has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Natuna Besar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25 (77) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
23 (73) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
23 (73) |
25 (77) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21 (70) |
21 (70) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
21 (70) |
22 (71) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 215 (8.5) |
316 (12.4) |
21 (0.8) |
107 (4.2) |
112 (4.4) |
196 (7.7) |
212 (8.3) |
162 (6.4) |
138 (5.4) |
172 (6.8) |
218 (8.6) |
526 (20.7) |
2,394 (94.3) |
| Source: [8] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Natuna Besar". 10 December 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ Lammertink, Nijman, and Setiorini, 2003. Oryx 37(4):472-479
- ^ Brandon-Jones et al. 2004. Asian Primate Classification. International Journal of Primatology 25(1):97-164
- ^ Groves, C.; Grubb, P. (2011). Ungulate Taxonomy. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 56, 58. ISBN 978-1-4214-0093-8. OCLC 708357723.
- ^ Lepage, Denis (2018). "Natuna Besar". Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "Kunker ke Natuna, Pangkoarmada I Tinjau Berbagai Fasilitas TNI AL". Lintas Kepri (in Indonesian). 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ "Indonesia opens military base near disputed South China Sea". ABS CBN News. December 19, 2018.
- ^ "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA.
