Barat Daya Islands


The Barat Daya Islands are a group of islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia. The Indonesian phrase barat daya means 'south-west'.

Geography

These islands are located off the eastern end of East Timor. Wetar is the largest island in the group. To the west, the Ombai Strait separates Wetar from Alor Island, part of East Nusa Tenggara. The Wetar Strait separates Wetar from Timor to the south.
Even though included in the Indonesian Maluku province political division, the southwestern islands are geographically part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Rainfall is limited with a dry season between October and December when some of the islands appear as dry savannah. The Barat Daya Islands except Wetar are part of the Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests ecoregion. Wetar and Timor comprise the Timor and Wetar deciduous forests ecoregion. Most of the islands are barren, infertile and minimally forested.
Together with Timor, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, and most of Maluku, the Barat Daya Islands are part of Wallacea, the group of Indonesian islands that are separated by deep water from both the Australian and Asian continental shelves. The islands of Wallacea have never been linked by land to either Asia or Australia, and as a result have few mammals and a mix of flora and fauna from both continents.

Islands

Among the islands within the archipelago are :
The islands are part of the Inner Banda Arc, a volcanic island arc created by the collision of the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Romang and Damar are volcanic; Wetar consists mostly of oceanic crust that was pushed to the surface by the colliding plates. The Barat Daya and Banda islands constitute an inner arc; the outer arc, which includes Timor, the Tanimbar Islands, and the Kai Islands, is mostly made up of oceanic crust lifted up by the collision, and wraps around south and east of the inner arc.

History

Unlike much of the rest of the Maluku Islands, the Barat Daya Islands did not participate in the inter-island trade over the centuries. Damar was the region's only island to have produced spice. Too remote from the centre of the Malukan spice trade, the Dutch destroyed the nutmeg trees on Babar. Bugis and Makarassarese annually sailed to coral-rich Luang to purchase reef products such as trepang and mother of pearl.

Administration

The Maluku Barat Daya Regency is administratively composed of seventeen districts, whose areas and 2013 officially estimated populations are listed below.:
The districts are formally grouped into three archipelagoes – the Terselatan Group, the Lemola Group and the Babar Group. The areas and the populations at the 2010 census and 2020 census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023, are listed below. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district, and its post code.
Kode
Wilayah		Name of
district
comprisingArea
in
km2		Pop'n
census
2010		Pop'n
census
2020		Pop'n
estimate
mid 2023		Admin
centre		No.
of
Villages		Post
Code
81.08.06Wetar Selatansouthern part of Wetar Island1,157.60Ilwaki697446
81.08.14Wetar Baratwestern part of Wetar Island, plus Lirang Island,
and other islands west of Wetar		345.70Ustutun597447
81.08.13Wetar Utaranorthern part of Wetar Island, plus Reong Island677.60Lurang697449
81.08.15Wetar Timureastern part of Wetar Island470.90Arwala697448
81.08.07Kisar Selatansouthern part of Kisar Island65.40Wonreli697445
81.08.17Kisar Utaranorthern part of Kisar Island18.59Putihair Timur397441
81.08.16Kepulauan RomaRomang Islands194.30Rumkuda397440
Totals for Terselatan Group2,930.09'''35
81.08.08LettiLeti Island90.10Serwaru797444
81.08.01MoaMoa Island361.60Weet897442
81.08.12LakorLakor Island112.60Wewawan597443
Totals for Lemola Group564.30'''20
81.08.02DamerDamer, plus uninhabited Nus Leur,
Terbang Utara and Terbang Selatan		201.80Wulur797128
-97652
81.08.03Luang SermataSermata Islands125.50Lelang1197652
81.08.04Babar BaratBabar Island, Dai359.70Tepa997451
81.08.05Babar TimurBabar Island 281.30Letwurung1197654
81.08.09Pulau MaselaMasela Island46.71Latalola Besar1197653
81.08.10Dawelor DaweraDawelor Island and
Dawera Island		27.06Watuwey697651
81.08.11Pulau WetangWetang Island44.60Rumah Lewang Besar897652
Totals for Babar Group1,086.679''63

Notes:
the 2010 populations for the four districts which comprised Pulau Pulau Wetar District are listed under Wetar Selatan District.
the 2010 populations of Kisar Utara and Kepulauan Roma Districts are included under the figure for Kisar Selatan District, from which they were split off.
the 2010 population of Lakor District is included in the figure for Moa District, from which it was split off.
the 2010 population of Pulau Wetang District is included in the figure for Babar Barat District, from which it was split off.
the 2010 populations of Pulau Masela and Daweloor Dawera Districts are included under the figure for Babar Timur District, from which they were split off.