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Mentawai Islands Regency

Coordinates: 2°11′S 99°39′E / 2.183°S 99.650°E / -2.183; 99.650
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Mentawai Islands Regency
Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai
Regency
Coat of arms of Mentawai Islands Regency
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Musara Kasimaeru
(Together for Goodness)
Location within West Sumatra
Location within West Sumatra
Mentawai Islands Regency is located in Sumatra
Mentawai Islands Regency
Mentawai Islands Regency
Location in Sumatra and Indonesia
Mentawai Islands Regency is located in Indonesia
Mentawai Islands Regency
Mentawai Islands Regency
Mentawai Islands Regency (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 2°11′S 99°39′E / 2.183°S 99.650°E / -2.183; 99.650
CountryIndonesia
ProvinceWest Sumatra
Regency seatTua Pejat
Government
 • Acting RegentMartinus Dahlan
 • Vice RegentVacant
Area
 • Total6,033.76 km2 (2,329.65 sq mi)
Population
 (2023 estimate)[1]
 • Total95,068
 • Density16/km2 (41/sq mi)
Demographics
[2]
 • ReligionChristianity 76.98%
- Protestanism 48.06%
- Catholicism 28.92%
Islam 22.82%
Others 0.19%
Time zoneUTC+7 (Indonesia Western Standard Time)
Area code(+62) 759
Websitementawaikab.go.id

The Mentawai Islands Regency is a regency of West Sumatra Province which consists of a chain of about a hundred islands and islets approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. They cover a land area of 6,033.76 km2 and had a population of 76,173 at the 2010 Census[3] and 87,623 at the 2020 Census;[4] the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 95,068.[1]

Siberut at 3,877.9 square kilometres (1,497 square miles) is the largest of the islands, occupying 64.27% of the land area of the regency. The other major islands are Sipura (or Sipora), North Pagai (Pagai Utara), and South Pagai (Pagai Selatan). The islands lie off the Sumatran coast, across the Mentawai Strait. The indigenous inhabitants of the islands are known as the Mentawai people. The Mentawai Islands have become a noted destination for surfing,[5] with over 40 boats offering surf charters to international guests.[6]

Administrative districts

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Mentawai Islanders
Islanders in a photo by C.B. Niewenhuis

The Mentawai Islands have been administered as a regency within the West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) province since 1999. The regency seat is Tua Pejat, on the island of Sipora. Padang, the capital of the province, lies on the Sumatran mainland opposite Siberut. The regency is divided into ten districts (kecamatan), tabulated below from south to north with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census[3] and the 2020 Census,[4] together with the official estimates as at mid-2023.[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of villages (all classed as rural desa) and the number of named offshore islands in each district, and its postcode.

Name of
District
(kecamatan)		 English
Name		 Area
in
km2		 Pop'n
2010
Census		 Pop'n
2020
Census		 Pop'n
mid 2023
Estimate		 Admin
centre		 No.
of
villages		 No.
of
islands		 Post
code
Pagai Selatan [7] South Pagai 851.28 8,782 9,373 10,279 Bulasat 4 31 25391
Sikakap (a) [8] Central Pagai 312.60 9,531 10,219 10,821 Taikako 3 8 25399
Pagai Utara [9] North Pagai 371.25 5,212 6,031 6,495 Saumanganya 3 9 25390
Sipora Selatan [10] South Sipora 348.33 8,460 9,812 10,552 Sioban 7 3 25392
Sipora Utara [11] North Sipora 272.40 9,097 11,968 13,405 Sido Makmur 6 12 25398
Siberut Selatan [12] South Siberut 328.00 8,446 9,933 10,711 Muara Siberut 5 1 25397
Siberut Barat Daya [13] Southwest Siberut 1,013.83 6,069 7,058 7,686 Pasakiat Taileleu 3 17 25393
Siberut Tengah [14] Central Siberut 589.75 6,069 7,089 7,716 Saibi Samukop 3 5 25396
Siberut Utara [15] North Siberut 782.68 7,774 8,337 9,151 Muara Sikabaluan 6 4 25395
Siberut Barat [16] West Siberut 1,163.64 6,733 7,803 8,252 Simalegi 3 1 25394
Totals 6,033.76 76,173 87,623 96,068 Tuapejat 43 111

Note: (a) Sikakap District covers the northern part of South Pagai Island and the southern part of North Pagai Island, plus some intervening small islands. Of the three desa, Matobek is entirely on North Pagai Island, while Sikakap and Taikato are mainly on North Pagai Island but each includes areas on South Pagai as well as the intervening small islands.

Villages

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The ten districts comprise forty-three rural villages (desa) listed below with their areas and their populations as officially estimated for mid 2023:[17]

Kode
Wilayah		 Name of
desa		 Area
in km2		 Pop'n
Estimate
mid 2023
13.09.10.2001 Sinaka (Sinakak) 265.87 2,455
13.09.10.2002 Bulasat 224.00 2,703
13.09.10.2003 Malakopa (Malakopak) 127.63 2,745
13.09.10.2004 Makalo 233.78 2,376
13.09.10 Totals Pagai Selatan District 851.28 10,279
13.09.09.2001 Sikakap 35.82 5,226
13.09.09.2002 Taikako 168.20 3,510
13.09.09.2003 Matobe (Matobek) 108.59 2,085
13.09.09 Totals Sikakap District 312.60 10,821
13.09.01.2007 Betumonga 76.91 1,303
13.09.01.2008 Silabu 97.63 1,308
13.09.01.2009 Saumanganya 196.72 3,884
13.09.01 Totals Pagai Utara District 371.25 6,495
13.09.02.2001 Bosua 40.78 1,780
13.09.02.2002 Beriulou 78.93 1,081
13.09.02.2003 Nemnemleleu 46.91 1,377
13.09.02.2004 Mara 62.27 1,198
13.09.02.2006 Sioban 16.75 2,329
13.09.02.2007 Matobe 23.62 1,265
13.09.02.2008 Saureinu 79.47 1,522
13.09.02 Totals Sipora Selatan District 348.33 10,552
13.09.08.2001 Betumonga 110.58 1,339
13.09.08.2002 Goisooinan 56.07 1,226
13.09.08.2003 Tuapejat 86.52 6,404
13.09.08.2004 Sido Makmur 6.07 985
13.09.08.2005 Bukit Pamewa 7.72 850
13.09.08.2006 Sipora Jaya 5.44 2,601
13.09.08 Totals Sipora Utara District 272.40 13,405
13.09.03.2002 Muara Siberut 17.75 3,259
13.09.03.2003 Maileppet 18.77 1,833
13.09.03.2004 Muntei 90.94 1,798
13.09.03.2005 Matotonan 85.65 1,336
13.09.03.2007 Madobag 114.89 2,485
13.09.03 Totals Siberut Selatan District 328.00 10,711
13.09.06.2001 Katurei 128.35 2,406
13.09.06.2002 Sagulubbeg 469.47 1,676
13.09.06.2003 Pasakiat Taileleu 416.00 3,604
13.09.06 Totals Siberut Barat Daya District 1,013.83 7,686
13.09.07.2001 Saibi Samukop 230.63 3,692
13.09.07.2002 Cimpungan 93.84 1,223
13.09.07.2003 Saliguma 265.28 2,801
13.09.07 Totals Siberut Tengah District 589.75 7,716
13.09.04.2003 Bojakan 263.04 1,168
13.09.04.2004 Sotboyak 42.83 719
13.09.04.2005 Mongan Poula 30.61 1,085
13.09.04.2006 Muara Sikabaluan 43.41 2,638
13.09.04.2007 Sirilogui 107.24 1,369
13.09.04.2008 Malancan 295.55 2,172
13.09.04 Totals Siberut Utara District 782.68 9,151
13.09.05.2001 Simatalu Sipokak 309.47 3,642
13.09.05.2002 Simalegi 559.19 2,396
13.09.05.2003 Sigapokna 294.98 2,214
13.09.05 Totals Siberut Barat District 1,163.64 8,252

Tourism

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Surfing

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Macaronis was first discovered in 1980 by pioneer surf discoverers Chris Goodnow, Scott Wakefield, and Tony Fitzpatrick, who originally named the break ‘P-Land’ on their first visit (after Pasangan Bay / Pagai Islands). Amazingly, and considering the remote location, P-Land may have been the first wave surfed in the Mentawai Islands. Lances Right was discovered a full 10 years later, while Chris, Scott, and Tony continued to keep their discovery a secret. They returned in 1981 with friend Tim Annand, and again on a boat trip in the 90’s.[18][19][20][21]

The first photos of the surf breaks in the Mentawais area were leaked after a surf trip in 1992 aboard the MV Indies Trader, with professional surfers Ross Clarke-Jones, Tom Carroll, and Martin Potter.[22] Ever since then, the Mentawai Islands have been well on the radar of surf travellers around the world. At the West of Sumatra, the Mentawai Islands have the most consistent surf breaks in Indonesia making it one of the preferred choices for serious surfers. The tropical waters surrounding the islands offer year-round waves up to 15 ft (4.5 m).[23][24]

Ecology

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Main article: Mentawai Islands rain forests
Dugout canoes on a river in Siberut
Mentawai Islands topography

The islands have been separated from Sumatra since the mid-Pleistocene period, which has allowed at least twenty endemic species to develop amongst its flora and fauna. This includes six endemic primates: the Kloss's gibbon (Hylobates klossii), Mentawai macaque (Macaca pagensis), Siberut macaque (Macaca siberu), Mentawai langur (Presbytis potenziani), Siberut langur (Presbytis siberu), and pig-tailed langur (Simias concolor). They are highly endangered due to logging, unsustainable hunting, and conversion of rainforest to palm oil plantations.[25] Some areas of the Mentawai Islands rainforest ecoregion are protected, such as the Siberut National Park. Red junglefowl, the Asian palm civet, and crab-eating macaque are also native.[26]

Seismic activity

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See also: 2010 Mentawai earthquake and tsunami, 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake, and 2016 Sumatra earthquake
September 2007 Sumatra earthquakes

The Mentawai Islands lie above the Sunda megathrust, a seismically active zone responsible for many great earthquakes. This megathrust runs along the southwestern side of Sumatra island, forming the interface between the Eurasian Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate.

Earthquake and tsunami activity has been high since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. In 1833, the region was hit with an earthquake, possibly similar in size to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake;[27] another large earthquake struck in 1797. On October 25, 2010, an earthquake in southern Sumatra led to a deadly tsunami that devastated villages in South and North Pagai.[28] On March 3, 2016, an earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes occurred off the Indian Ocean, a few hundred kilometres from Mentawai islands, as a result of strike-slip faulting within the oceanic lithosphere of the Indo-Australia plate.[29]

See also

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Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai Dalam Angka 2024 (sum of district Katalog returns as references below)
  2. ^ "Religion in Indonesia".
  3. ^ a b Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  5. ^ "SURFAID". SURFAID. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "Every Surf Charter Boat in the Mentawais | 41 Boats with Photos and Info". Indies Trader. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  7. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Pagai Selatan Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301011)
  8. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Sikakap Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301012)
  9. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Pagai Utara Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301013)
  10. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Sipora Selatan Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301021)
  11. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Sipora Utara Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301022)
  12. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Siberut Selatan Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301030)
  13. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Siberut Barat Daya Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301031)
  14. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Siberut Tengah Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301032)
  15. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Siberut Utara Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301040)
  16. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Siberut Barat Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1301041)
  17. ^ "Daftar Desa & Kelurahan di Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai". www.nomor.net. Kode Pos Indonesia. 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  18. ^ "Finding-Macaronis-Part1". www.swellnet.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  19. ^ "Finding-Macaronis-Part2". www.swellnet.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  20. ^ "Finding-Macaronis-Part3". www.swellnet.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  21. ^ "Original P-Land Discoverers Reunion". www.macaronisresort.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  22. ^ "Mentawai". www.surfindonesia.com. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  23. ^ "Top 10 Place to Surf in Indonesia". allindonesiatravel. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  24. ^ "15 Surfing Destination". indonesia.travel. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  25. ^ Whittaker, D. 2006. A conservation action plan for the Mentawai primates. Primate Conservation 20: 95–105.
  26. ^ "Mentawai Islands rain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  27. ^ "INDONESIA - THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF 1833 OFF THE COAST OF CENTRAL SUMATRA - Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis". www.DrGeorgePC.com. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  28. ^ "Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami Kill 113, Merapi Volcano Eruptions Hours Later". News article. politiktimes.com. October 26, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  29. ^ "M7.8 – Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia". Retrieved March 2, 2016.
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