Waigeo
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | South East Asia |
| Coordinates | 0°12′S 130°50′E / 0.200°S 130.833°E |
| Archipelago | Raja Ampat Islands |
| Administration | |
Indonesia | |
Waigeo is an island in West Papua province of eastern Indonesia. The island is also known as Amberi, or Waigiu. It is the largest of the four main islands in the Raja Ampat Islands archipelago, between Halmahera and about 65 km to the northwest coast of New Guinea. The Dampier Strait (a.k.a. Augusta's Strait) separates it from Batanta, and the Bougainville Strait from the Kawe Islands to its northwest. The "inner sea" that nearly cleaves the island in two is the Majoli Gulf.[1]
The area of the island is 3,155 km²; the highest elevations are 958 m high Buffalo Horn (Gunung Nok) and 939 m high Serodjil.[2] From west to east the island measures approximately 110 km, north-south circa 50 km.
The town of Waisai in the west of the island is the capital of the Raja Ampat regency. Languages spoken on Waigeo include Papuan Malay, Biak, Ma'ya, and Ambel [3]
History
Jorge de Menezes, a Portuguese explorer, landed on Waigeo Island in 1526-27.
Since 1997, the island has been the site of a substantial pearl farming operation owned by the Australian company Atlas Pacific.[citation needed]
Fauna and flora
- Waigeo Brushturkey
- Waigeou cuscus
- Waigeo rainbowfish
- Waigeo seaperch
- Golden-spotted tree monitor
- Wilson's bird-of-paradise (Cicinnurus respublica)
- Achaea simplex
- Hypochlorosis ancharia
- Hypolycaena phorbas
- Karstarma waigeo
- Nepenthes danseri
References
- ^ Victor Émile van Straelen, Résultats scientifiques du voyage aux Indes Orientales Néerlandaises de LL.AA.RR. le Prince et la Princesse Léopold de Belgique, Musée royale d'histoire naturelle de Belgique, 1933
- ^ Pub164, 2004 Sailing Directions (Enroute): New Guinea
- ^ Remijsen, Bert, 2001. Word Prosodic systems of the Raja Ampat languages. Utrecht: LOT Publications.
External links
Media related to Waigeo at Wikimedia Commons
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