Banyak Islands
Encyclopedia
The Banyak Islands are a group of mostly uninhabited island
s located between Simeulue
and Nias
off the western coast of Sumatra
in Indonesia
's Aceh Province, consisting of 99 small land masses. The largest island in the group is Tuangku
(Great Banyak), with the principal town of Alaban
. Two other major islands located either side of Tuangku are Bangkaru and Bago. Tuangku is separated from Bangkaru by a fault line.
. The islands have long been noted for the existence of substantial offshore coral reefs, though problems with overharvesting, damage from explosives, and recent geological disturbances have threatened these underwater resources.
The sea turtle populations in the waters near the Banyak Islands have also suffered from overharvesting. Local people have collected turtle eggs for consumption, and turtles have also been caught by poachers from Sibolga
. They hunt turtles for the lucrative export market in turtle meat. Other species in danger from overharvesting include the giant clam
and the dugong
.
The island group has a population of 6,050 persons. Most of the islands are uninhabited, and only Tuangku, Bangkura and Bago have any significant population.
and subsequent tsunami. The quake's epicenter
was located only a few hundred kilometres north of the island group. Along with Simeulue and Nias, the Banyak Islands absorbed the shock waves and shielded a lot of damage from the Mentawai Islands
. The eastern islands were affected the most due to the poor construction of buildings, as many structures contained timber instead of concrete. As many as 300 residents of the island group died as a result of the tsunami.
The 2005 Sumatra earthquake
was located slightly east of Bangkaru, which was the closest island to the epicenter. The island was hit by a small tsunami, though it suffered little damage due to the small number of inhabitants on the island. There were no casualties or injuries. Due to the split between Tuangku and Bangkaru, the earthquake caused Bangkaru to rise and Tuangku to drop. Wells became contaminated by saltwater following the meter-high surge that hit the villages, and the tsunami flowed 100-200 meters into the dense jungle. Fresh sand carried by the tsunami adhered on the seaward side of tree trunks as high as one meter above ground level.
holidays with some of the better waves being witnessed at Bangkaru due to the larger fetch
. Another major sector of the local economy is fishing
, which is based on individual small boats, particularly the multi-hulled proa
. The islands support limited farming, though this is insufficient to supply the needs of islanders, and a significant quantity of fresh food is brought in from Singkil. Unfortunately, the island group's limited harbor infrastructure sustained heavy damage as a result of the recent tsunamis, and economic development will continue to struggle until new harbor facilities are constructed.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s located between Simeulue
Simeulue
Simeulue Regency is a regency in the Aceh province of Indonesia. It occupies the whole island of Simeulue , 150 km off the west coast of Sumatra, with a population of 80,279 ....
and Nias
Nias
Nīas is an island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago, containing the Hinako archipelago....
off the western coast of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
's Aceh Province, consisting of 99 small land masses. The largest island in the group is Tuangku
Tuangku
Tuangku is the main and largest island in the Banyak Islands group in Indonesia. The largest town on the island is Alaban....
(Great Banyak), with the principal town of Alaban
Alaban
Alaban is the largest city on the island of Tuangku. It is located on the northern shore of the island.-External links:*...
. Two other major islands located either side of Tuangku are Bangkaru and Bago. Tuangku is separated from Bangkaru by a fault line.
Geography
With an area of 123 square miles (319 square km), the group lies north of Nias and 18 miles (29 km) west of Sumatra in the Indian OceanIndian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. The islands have long been noted for the existence of substantial offshore coral reefs, though problems with overharvesting, damage from explosives, and recent geological disturbances have threatened these underwater resources.
The sea turtle populations in the waters near the Banyak Islands have also suffered from overharvesting. Local people have collected turtle eggs for consumption, and turtles have also been caught by poachers from Sibolga
Sibolga
Sibolga is a city and a port on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia. It is located on the western side of North Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean and is a transit harbour to Nias island. It was hard hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.- History :Poncan Ketek Island in...
. They hunt turtles for the lucrative export market in turtle meat. Other species in danger from overharvesting include the giant clam
Giant clam
The giant clam, Tridacna gigas , is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports...
and the dugong
Dugong
The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...
.
The island group has a population of 6,050 persons. Most of the islands are uninhabited, and only Tuangku, Bangkura and Bago have any significant population.
Earthquakes and tsunamis
The island group was significantly affected by the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
and subsequent tsunami. The quake's epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
was located only a few hundred kilometres north of the island group. Along with Simeulue and Nias, the Banyak Islands absorbed the shock waves and shielded a lot of damage from the Mentawai Islands
Mentawai Islands
The Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Siberut is the largest of the islands. The other major islands are Sipura, North Pagai and South Pagai . The islands lie approximately 150 km off the Sumatran coast, across the...
. The eastern islands were affected the most due to the poor construction of buildings, as many structures contained timber instead of concrete. As many as 300 residents of the island group died as a result of the tsunami.
The 2005 Sumatra earthquake
2005 Sumatra earthquake
The 2005 Sumatra earthquake, referred to as the Nias Earthquake by the scientific community, was a major earthquake on 28 March 2005, located off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Approximately 1300 people were killed by the earthquake, mostly on the island of Nias...
was located slightly east of Bangkaru, which was the closest island to the epicenter. The island was hit by a small tsunami, though it suffered little damage due to the small number of inhabitants on the island. There were no casualties or injuries. Due to the split between Tuangku and Bangkaru, the earthquake caused Bangkaru to rise and Tuangku to drop. Wells became contaminated by saltwater following the meter-high surge that hit the villages, and the tsunami flowed 100-200 meters into the dense jungle. Fresh sand carried by the tsunami adhered on the seaward side of tree trunks as high as one meter above ground level.
Economy
The area is popular among tourists on surfingSurfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
holidays with some of the better waves being witnessed at Bangkaru due to the larger fetch
Fetch (geography)
The fetch, often called the fetch length, is the length of water over which a given wind has blown. It is used in geography and meteorology and is usually associated with coastal erosion. It plays a large part in longshore drift as well....
. Another major sector of the local economy is fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, which is based on individual small boats, particularly the multi-hulled proa
Proa
A proa, also seen as prau, perahu, and prahu, is a type of multihull sailing vessel.While the word perahu and proa are generic terms meaning boat their native language, proa in Western languages has come to describe a vessel consisting of two unequal length parallel hulls...
. The islands support limited farming, though this is insufficient to supply the needs of islanders, and a significant quantity of fresh food is brought in from Singkil. Unfortunately, the island group's limited harbor infrastructure sustained heavy damage as a result of the recent tsunamis, and economic development will continue to struggle until new harbor facilities are constructed.