Kangean Islands

The Kangean Islands or simply Kangean (Indonesian: Kepulauan Kangean) is a collective name for a group of islands lying to the east of Madura. Kangean (the main island) and its surrounding islands lie to the north of Bali in the northern Bali Sea, to the northwest of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara), and administratively they form three districts within Sumenep Regency, East Java Province. The group comprises a total of 91 islands including 27 inhabited islands. Kangean is located approximately 120 km in the north of Bali, the northwest of Lombok, and 120 km east of Madura. The biggest and most populous district is Arjasa, which includes the town of that name located in the west of the island. The Kangean Islands have a large potential for natural resources, such as natural gas, teak, coconut, and salt production.

Layout
The largest island, at about 490 km2, is Kangean Island. Other islands include Paliat, Sepanjang, and several smaller ones. The towns of Arjasa and Kalikatak, both on Kangean Island, are the area's largest population centres. The Kangean islands have strong historical and ethnic ties with Madura, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, Sumbawa, South Borneo, and also South Sulawesi. The majority religion in Kangean is Islam.

The highest elevation point on the islands is in the northeast at 1,192 feet (364 m.), while overall the islands are low in elevation. The weather tends to rain regularly. Saltwater crocodiles are reported to be present within the island's coastal mangroves.

They are administered as three districts (kecamatan) of Sumenep Regency - Arjasa, Kangayan, and Sapêken. Arjasa District forms the west part of the main island, Kangayan District forms the east part of that island, and Sapêken District comprises several separate islands to the east and southeast of Kangean, of which Paliat and Sepanjang are the largest. Together, their population was 108,264 in the 2000 census, increasing to 123,367 in the 2010 census and to 161,056 at the 2020 census, while the official estimate as of mid-2022 was 166,742.

Ethnic group
The Kangeanese (Kangeanese: Oréng Kangéan, Indonesian: Orang Kangean or Suku Kangean) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Indonesian island of Kangean and its surrounding islands. The Kangeanese population lives mostly on the Kangean Islands, making up c. 90% of the island group's population of 166,742.

Languages
The Kangean language is mainly spoken in Kangean areas.

Exports and reserves
Since 1993 the islands have been the site of substantial natural gas mining. The natural gas fields were first discovered and developed by the United States corporation ARCO, which became a subsidiary of BP in 2000. In mid-2004, BP sold its Kangean holdings to an Indonesian corporation, PT Energi Mega Persada. The islands are connected to East Java via a 430 km pipeline, most of which runs underwater.

Other economic activities on the islands include teak, coconut, and salt production.

Airstrip
In 2014, the local government agreed to reactivate an old airstrip on Kangean Island. The airstrip is 1,000 meters long and 30 meters wide.