South Halmahera Regency

South Halmahera Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan; Indonesian pronunciation: [kabuˌpat̪ɛn halmaˌhera səˈlat̪an]) is a regency of North Maluku Province, Indonesia. It lies partly on Halmahera Island (occupying most of the southern peninsula of that island) and partly on smaller islands to the west and south of Halmahera. It covers a land area of 8,779.32 km2, and at the 2010 Census it had a population of 198,911 people, while the 2020 Census showed that this had risen to 248,395 and the official estimate in mid 2025 was 258,564 (comprising 133,453 males and 125,111 females). The capital lies at the town of Labuha on Bacan Island. Islands Besides the southern part of Halmahera Island, the regency includes a number of archipelagoes and islands. These comprise: Obi Islands, including Obira (main), Bisa, Obilatu and other small islands, comprising in all five kecamatan with 55,010 people in mid 2025. Bacan Islands, including: Bacan Island itself, comprising 7 kecamatan with 89,816 people (in mid 2025) Bacan Lomang Island, comprising 1 kecamatan with 7,808 people Mandioli, comprising 2 kecamatan with 10,912 people Kasiruta, comprising 2 kecamatan with 11,024 people Kayoa Group, comprising 4 kecamatan with 21,996 people Makian, comprising 2 kecamatan with 12,323 people the southern peninsula of Halmahera Island (the area is known as Gane), comprising 6 kecamatan with 49,674 people in 2025 (including the Joronga Islands off the southern tip of Halmahera Island). Administration The regency is divided into thirty districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census, together with the official estimates for mid 2025. The table also includes the name of the administrative centre and the number of administrative villages (all classed as rural desa) and of named islands in each district and its post code. Notes: (a) except for Bobo desa, which has a postcode of 97792. (b) formally called Kepulauan Batanglomang; situated between Bacan and Mandioli Islands. (c) includes Lata Lata Island (27.9 km2, with 1,201 inhabitants in 2020), located to the northwest of Kasiruta Island, and comprising two desa - Lata Lata and Sidanga. (d) Kayoa Barat (essentially Pulau Muari, but also includes the four small offshore islets of Pulau Guaigo, Pulau Guaigo Kecil, Pulau Intan and Pulau Tamotamo) actually lies closer to Kasiruta Island than to the rest of the Kayoa group; it is geographically adjacent to Lata Lata Island, part of Kasiruta Barat District. (e) Makian Island is a stratovolcano, like the islands to the north of it (such as Moti, Mare, Tidore, Ternate and Hiri), and unlike those to the south (like Kayoa and the Bacan Islands). (f) comprising the villages (desa) of Gonone, Kukupang, Kurunga, Liboba Hijrah, Pulau Gala, Tawabi and Yomen; the largest islands are Pulau Damar (or Kukupang) and Pulau Yoruga (or Joronga Island). (g) includes the Widi Islands off the east coast of the Gane Peninsula. Languages The various South Halmahera languages are a branch of Austronesian languages. Economy South Halmahera has been designated by provincial governor Abdul Ghani Kasuba as a region for tourism development. The Widi International Fishing Tournament was founded for this purpose. Kasuba also successfully negotiated for the China-based Jinchun Group to build a nine-trillion rupiah nickel smelter in the Obi Islands. References External links "Profil Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan [Profile South Halmahera Regency]" (PDF). RPI2-JMI Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan, Bantuan Teknis RPI2JM Dalam Implementasi Kebijakan Keterpaduan Program Bidang Cipta Karya – Provinsi Maluku Utara (in Indonesian). 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2021-01-11.