| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | South East Asia |
| Archipelago | Maluku Islands |
| Major islands | Mangole, Sanana and Taliabu |
| Area | 9,632 km2 (3,718.9 sq mi) |
| Country | |
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Indonesia
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| Province | North Maluku |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 108,015 (as of 2000 Census) |
The Sula Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Sula) are a group of islands in North Maluku in Indonesia. Its three main islands are Mangole, Sanae (Sulabesi/Xullabesi) and Taliabu, with smaller islands Lifamatola and Seho. It is administered as Kepulauan Sula Regency (Kabupaten Kepulauan Sula). Its area is 9,632 km2 and population 108,015 (2000 census). Pre-Indonesian Independence saw the Sula also known as the Xulla Islands, with Taliabo as Xulla Taliabo, Sanana as Xulla Bessi, and Mangola as Xulla Mangola.[1]
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Administratively the islands are divided into 19 districts (kecamatan), expanded from an original six:
The Dutch built a fort on Sanana in 1652. Wallace visited the islands during an ornithological expedition in 1862.[2]
According to government data Sula Islands District's food crops include vegetables, groundnuts, cassava, sweet potatoes, durian, mangosteen and mango. As of 2005 the area of agriculturally active land was 24743.56 hectares with production amounting to 33,608.62 tons per year. Taliabu-Sanana District is the main producer of cloves, nutmeg, cocoa, copra and other coconut products. Fishery production is very diverse with and estimated sustainable potential of 40273.91 tonnes per year of which only 22.8 percent is currently exploited. Forestry is considered a potential industry with the natural forest-based Classification Map TGHK RTRWP suggesting a forest area of 471,951.53 hectares, but much of tis is protected or hard to access due to steep slopes and transportation logistics and the islands' main plywood company, PT Barito Pacific Timber Group (in Falabisahaya, West Mangole) has closed. Industrial activity is very limited. There is a gold mine in East Mangoli District (at Waitina and Kawata) and coal mines are located in the peninsula of West Sulabesi District, East Taliabu and Sub Sanana (Wai Village Ipa. Reserves of coal are estimated around 10.4 million tonnes.
The following species are native to the Sula Islands:
Introduced species include
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