Sangeang Api


Sangeang Api is an active complex volcano on the island of in Indonesia. It consists of two volcanic cones, Doro Api and Doro Mantoi. Sangeang Api is one of the most active volcanoes in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Administratively the island forms one village within Wera District of Bima Regency; it covers a land area of 165.76 km2 and had a population of 4,739 in mid 2023.

Location

The island of Sangeang is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It is located northeast of Sumbawa in the Flores Sea and is 13 km wide with an area of 153 km2.

Historical literature

The earliest document mentioning the Sang Hyang Api volcano was found in 14th century Majapahit script of Nagarakretagama.
"Gunung Api" also appears as the name for the mountain in the first chapter of the novel The Long Journey by Johannes V. Jensen.

Eruptions

The Sangeang Api and the Satonda volcanoes are eruption centers associated to the Tambora volcano.
The Sangeang Api erupted in 1988 and the island's inhabitants were evacuated. Between its first recorded eruption in 1512 and 1989, it erupted 17 times. It erupted again during December 2012 and May 2014.

2014 Eruption

Since mid-June 2013, authorities had put the volcano on 'high alert' for a possible eruption. On May 30, 2014, a major eruption occurred at around 3:55 p.m. local time. Farmers working on the island were evacuated. Ash and smoke quickly rose to an altitude of into the sky. By the next morning, the ash cloud had crossed the northwest coast of Australia in the Kimberley region, and airlines had cancelled flights into and from Darwin, Northern Territory. It later went as far as Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. On 31 May some flights from Melbourne and Adelaide to Bali were also cancelled.

Climate

Sangeang Api has a subtropical highland climate. It has moderate rainfall from June to September and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the remaining months.