Mentawai Islands
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Mentawai Islands Regency Kepulauan Mentawai |
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| Coordinates: 2°11′S 99°39′E / 2.183°S 99.650°ECoordinates: 2°11′S 99°39′E / 2.183°S 99.650°E | ||
| Country | Indonesia | |
| Province | West Sumatra | |
| Capital | Tua Pejat | |
| Government | ||
| • Regent | Yudas Sabaggalet | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 6,011.35 km2 (2,321.00 sq mi) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 76,421 | |
| • Density | 13/km2 (33/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | WIB (UTC+7) | |
| Area code(s) | +62 759 | |
The Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Siberut at 4,030 square kilometres (1,556 square miles) is the largest of the islands. The other major islands are Sipura, North Pagai (Pagai Utara) and South Pagai (Pagai Selatan). The islands lie approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) 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.
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 2010 Census populations.
The islands have been separated from Sumatra since the period, which has allowed at least twenty endemic species to develop amongst its flora and fauna. This includes five endemic primates: the Mentawai or kloss gibbon (Hylobates klossii), Mentawai macaque (Macaca pagensis), Siberut macaque (Macaca siberu), Mentawai leaf monkey (Presbytis potenziani), and pig-tailed langur (Simias concolor). They are highly endangered due to logging, unsustainable hunting, and conversion of rainforest to palm oil plantations. Some areas of the Mentawai Islands rain forest ecoregion are protected, such as the Siberut National Park. Red junglefowl, the Asian palm civet and crab-eating macaque are also native.
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