Sape Strait | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 8°39′00″S119°18′00″E / 8.65000°S 119.30000°E Coordinates: 8°39′00″S119°18′00″E / 8.65000°S 119.30000°E |
Type | strait |
Native name | Selat Sape (Indonesian) |
Basin countries | Indonesia |
References | Selat Sape: Indonesia National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, MD, USA |
The Sape Strait (Indonesian : Selat Sape) or Sapie Strait [1] is a strait connecting the Flores Sea to the Sumba Strait. It separates the islands of Sumbawa and Komodo. It joins the Indonesian provinces of West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.
The Sape Strait is known for rough seas, shoals [2] and strong currents, as well as spectacular marine life. The waters of the strait are enjoying growing popularity among diving enthusiasts. [3]
Part of the Sape water area is included in the Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The volcanic islands in the Strait include:
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. The population was 2,039,373 in the 2020 Census and the largest towns are Maumere and Ende. The name Flores is the Portuguese word for "Flowers".
Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but there have been plans by the Indonesian government to split the island off into a separate province. Traditionally, the island is known as the source of sappanwood, as well as honey and sandalwood. Its savanna-like climate and vast grasslands are used to breed horses and cattle, as well as to hunt deer.
East Nusa Tenggara is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the north. It consists of more than 500 islands, with the largest ones being Sumba, Flores, and the western part of Timor; the latter shares a land border with the separate nation of East Timor. The province is subdivided into twenty-one regencies and the regency-level city of Kupang, which is the capital and largest city.
West Nusa Tenggara is a province of Indonesia. It comprises the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the exception of Bali which is its own province. Mataram, on Lombok, is the capital and largest city of the province. The 2010 census recorded the population at 4,500,212; the total rose to 4,830,118 at the 2015 Census and 5,320,092 at the 2020 Census. The province's area is 20,153.15 km2. The two largest islands by far in the province are Lombok in the west and the larger Sumbawa island in the east.
Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones, with a total area of 1,733 km2. The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species. In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Savu Sea is a small sea within Indonesia named for the island of Savu (Sawu) on its southern boundary. It is bounded by Savu and Rai Jua to the south, the islands of Rote and Timor to the east, Flores and the Alor archipelago to the north/northwest, and the island of Sumba to the west/northwest. Between these islands, it flows into the Indian Ocean to the south and west, the Flores Sea to the north, and the Banda Sea to the northeast.
Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that comprise the Republic of Indonesia. The island is particularly notable as the habitat of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth, which is named after the island. Komodo Island has a surface area of 390 square kilometres and a human population of over two thousand. The people of the island are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to the island and who have mixed with Bugis from Sulawesi. The people are primarily adherents of Islam but there are also Christian and Hindu congregations.
Rinca, also known as Rincah, Rindja, Rintja and Pintja, is a small island near Komodo and Flores island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, within the West Manggarai Regency. It is one of the three largest islands included in Komodo National Park. The island is famous for Komodo dragons, giant lizards that can measure up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. Rinca is also populated with many other species such as wild pigs, buffalos and many birds.
Sumba Strait is a strait in Indonesia.
West Manggarai Regency is one of the eight regencies which comprise the island of Flores, located in the province of East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia. The Regency was created in 2003 by separation of the western districts from Manggarai Regency. It covers a land area of 3,141.47 km2, and had a population of 221,703 at the 2010 Census, rising to 251,689 at the 2015 Intermediate Census and to 256,317 at the 2020 Census. The regency's capital is the town of Labuan Bajo.
Bima Regency is a regency of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Sumbawa and the capital is Woha. The Regency covers an area of 4,389.40 km2, and had a population of 438,522 at the 2010 Census and 514,105 at the 2020 Census. It administratively excludes but geographically completely surrounds Bima City on the landward side.
Woha is a town and administrative district which serves as the capital of the Bima Regency, on the eastern part of the island of Sumbawa, in central Indonesia's province West Nusa Tenggara. It is connected by provincial road to the towns of Bima and Sape.
East Lombok Regency is a regency of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok, of which it comprises the eastern third ; the administrative capital is the town of Selong. The Regency covers an area of 1,605.55 km2 and had a population of 1,105,582 at the 2010 Census and 1,325,240 at the 2020 Census.
The Alas Strait is a strait that separates Lombok and Sumbawa, two islands of Indonesia in West Nusa Tenggara province.
The Lesser Sundas deciduous forests is a tropical dry forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion includes the islands of Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo, Flores, and Alor, along with the many adjacent smaller islands.
Labuan Bajo is a fishing town located at the western end of the large island of Flores in the Nusa Tenggara region of east Indonesia. It is the capital of the West Manggarai Regency (Kabupaten Manggarai Barat), one of the eight regencies which are the major administrative divisions of Flores.
Waworada Bay or Waworada Gulf is a slender bay facing the Indian Ocean on Sumbawa Island, in the Bima Regency of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara.
The Lesser Sunda Islands are an archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up the Sunda Islands. The islands are part of a volcanic arc, the Sunda Arc, formed by subduction along the Sunda Trench in the Java Sea. A bit more than 20 million people live on the islands.
Padar, also known as Pada, is a small island located between Komodo and Rinca islands within Komodo archipelago, administrated under the West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is the third largest island part of Komodo National Park.
The Bimanese people are an ethnic group of Indonesia that inhabits the eastern part of Sumbawa Island in West Nusa Tenggara province. With a population of around half a million people, they are the second largest ethnic group in West Nusa Tenggara.