Portal:Indonesia/AOTW/6, 2007



Weh Island or Pulau Weh or Pulo Weh is a small active volcanic island to the northwest of Sumatra. It was originally connected to the Sumatran mainland and became separated by sea after the volcano's last eruption in the Pleistocene era. The island is situated in the Andaman Sea. The largest city on the island, Sabang, is the westernmost outpost of Indonesia. The island is known for its ecosystem; the Indonesian government has declared 6,000 hectares of inland and sea around the island as a wildlife protection area. A rare megamouth shark species was found on shore and the island is the only habitat for the threatened toad, Bufo valhallae (genus Bufo). Coral reef areas around the island are known for their large variety of fish species.

Weh Island is located in the Andaman Sea, where two groups of islands, the Nicobar Islands and Andaman Islands, are scattered in one line from Sumatra to the north up to the Burma plate. The island is small at only 15,630 hectares, but mountainous. The highest peak is a fumarolic volcano and is 617 metres (2,024 ft). The last known eruption is estimated to have occurred in the Pleistocene age. As a result of this eruption, the mountain partially collapsed, was filled by the sea and thus a separate island was formed. Weh Island is a part of Aceh province. A 1993 census reported 24,700 inhabitants. The large majority of the population are Acehnese and the remaining are Minangkabau, Javanese, Batak and Chinese. (Read more...)