Nusa Laut (also called Pulau Nusahulawano or Pulau Emas) is the smallest of the three inhabited island in the Lease Islands group situated east of Ambon Island, in Indonesia's Maluku province. It lies just off the south-western corner of Saparua island, separated from it by a deep channel. The island's coasts are fringed by a drying reef.[1]
  Nusa Laut Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Oceania |
| Coordinates | 3°40′6″S 128°47′11″E / 3.66833°S 128.78639°E |
| Archipelago | Maluku Islands |
| Area | 32.50 km2 (12.55 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 358 m (1175 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Maluku |
| Regency | Central Maluku |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 5,437 (mid 2023 estimate) |
| Pop. density | 176.7/km2 (457.7/sq mi) |
| Languages | Ambonese Malay, Indonesian, Nusa Laut |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
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Nusa Laut covers a land area of 32.5 km2 and had a population of 5,322 at the 2010 Census[2] and 5,780 at the 2020 Census;[3] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 5,437 inhabitants.[4] live in seven villages - Leinitu, Sila, Nalahia and Ameth in the north of the island, and Titawaai, Abubu and Akoon in the south of the island - all sharing the postcode of 97518. They speak the Nusa Laut language, as well as Indonesian and Ambonese Malay.[5]
| Kode Wilayah |
Name of desa |
Area in km2 |
Pop'n Estimate mid 2023[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81.01.16.2001 | Ameth | 5.75 | 595 |
| 81.01.16.2002 | Titawaai | 6.00 | 1,453 |
| 81.01.16.2003 | Abubu | 4.25 | 1,849 |
| 81.01.16.2004 | Akoon | 4.75 | 745 |
| 81.01.16.2005 | Nalahia | 5.25 | 492 |
| 81.01.16.2006 | Sila | 3.00 | 286 |
| 81.01.16.2007 | Leinitu | 3.50 | 277 |
Nusa Laut has an all-Christian population and has been spared the 1999–2000 riots plaguing the rest of the region. Its villages have many colonial style houses and churches, two of which compete for the title of being the oldest church in Maluku. There is also an old fort - the Dutch East India Company's Fort Beverwijk.
Visitors come to the island for its beaches and to dive off the reefs of Ameth - reputedly one of the best dive spots in the Lease Islands.[7]
References
edit
- ^ Pub164, 2004 Sailing Directions (Enroute): New Guinea
- ^ Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
- ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
- ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Maluku Tengah Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8101)
- ^ Nusa Laut - Ethnologue
- ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2024, Kecamatan Nusa Laut Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.8103081)
- ^ Muller, Dr. Kal (1990). Spice Islands: The Moluccas. Periplus Editions. ISBN 0-945971-07-9