South Halmahera Regency

South Halmahera Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan) 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,^[2] while the 2020 Census showed that this had risen to 248,395^[3] and the official estimate in mid 2024 was 258,564 (comprising 133,453 males and 125,111 females).^[1] The capital lies at the town of Labuha on Bacan Island.

South Halmahera Regency Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan
Regency
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Saruma (One House)
South Halmahera Regency Location in Bacan, Maluku, Halmahera and Indonesia Show map of Bacan Islands South Halmahera Regency South Halmahera Regency (North Maluku) Show map of North Maluku South Halmahera Regency South Halmahera Regency (Halmahera) Show map of Halmahera South Halmahera Regency South Halmahera Regency (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 0.3955°S 127.9083°E / -0.3955; 127.9083
Country	Indonesia
Province	North Maluku
Capital	Labuha
Government
• Regent	Bahrain Kasuba
• Vice Regent	Iswan Hasjim
Area
• Total	8,779.32 km2 (3,389.71 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2024 Estimate)
• Total	258,564
• Density	29/km2 (76/sq mi)
	[1]
Time zone	UTC+9 (IEST)
Area code	(+62) 927
Website	halselkab.go.id

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 2024.^[1]
• Bacan Islands, including:
  • Bacan Island itself, comprising 7 kecamatan with 89,816 people (in mid 2024)
  • 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 2024 (including the Joronga Islands off the southern tip of Halmahera Island).^[4]

Administration

The regency is divided into thirty districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census^[2] and 2020 Census,^[3] together with the official estimates for mid 2024.^[1] 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.

Kode Wilayah	Name of District (kecamatan)	English name	Area in km2	Pop'n Census 2010	Pop'n Census 2020'	Pop'n Estimate mid 2024	Admin centre	No. of villages	No. of islands	Post code	Island or Group
82.04.05	Obi Selatan [5]	South Obi	1,021.02	12,128	12,178	15,815	Wayaloar	8	4	97792	Obi Islands
82.04.06	Obi [6]		910.59	14,125	20,538	14,047	Laiwui	9	12	97792	Obi Islands
82.04.28	Obi Barat [7]	West Obi	89.19	3,586	5,211	5,830	Jikohai	6	6	97792	Obi Islands
82.04.29	Obi Timur [8]	East Obi	636.23	3,389	3,705	4,048	Sum	4	14	97792	Obi Islands
82.04.30	Obi Utara [9]	North Obi	160.69	8,227	9,128	10,270	Madapolo	7	6	97792	Obi Islands
Sub-totals	Obi Islands		2,817.72	41,455	50,760	55,010		34	42	97792	Obi Islands
82.04.08	Bacan [10]		304.69	19,092	27,045	29,227	Labuha	14	3	97791	Bacan Islands
82.04.19	Mandioli Selatan [11]	South Mandioli	138.81	5,798	6,936	7,186	Jiko	6	-	97791	Mandioli
82.04.20	Mandioli Utara [12]	North Mandioli	96.80	2,990	3,809	3,726	Indong	6	7	97791 (a)	Mandioli
82.04.17	Bacan Selatan [13]	South Bacan	169.21	13,265	19,560	21,971	Mandaong	10	-	97791	Bacan Islands
82.04.18	Batang Lomang (b) [14]	Batang Lomang Islands	55.81	6,177	7,655	7,808	Bajo	8	13	97790	Batang Lomang Islands
82.04.07	Bacan Timur [15]	East Bacan	463.50	9,051	12,794	13,811	Babang	10	8	97791	Bacan Islands
82.04.21	Bacan Timur Selatan [16]	Southeast Bacan	321.13	6,460	7,493	8,459	Wayaua	7	1	97791	Bacan Islands
82.04.22	Bacan Timur Tengah [17]	East Central Bacan	276.28	5,229	6,158	6,579	Bibinoi	7	2	97791	Bacan Islands
82.04.09	Bacan Barat [18]	West Bacan	143.70	3,549	4,327	4,602	Indari	7	49	97791	Bacan Islands
82.04.15	Kasiruta Barat (c) [19]	West Kasiruta	272.98	4,521	5,865	6,034	Palamea	10	25	97790	Kasiruta
82.04.16	Kasiruta Timur [20]	East Kasiruta	211.45	3,847	4,865	4,990	Loleojaya	8	6	97790	Kasiruta
82.04.14	Bacan Barat Utara [21]	Northwest Bacan	264.94	4,096	5,010	5.167	Yaba	8	1	97791	Bacan Islands
Sub-totals	Bacan Islands		2,719.30	84,075	111,517	119,560		101	115	9779x	Bacan Islands
82.04.02	Kayoa[22]		87.62	8,180	9,057	8,614	Guruapin	14	49	97780	Kayoa Islands
82.04.11	Kayoa Barat (d) [23]	West Kayoa	27.07	3,469	4,336	4,042	Busua	4	5	97781	Kayoa Islands
82.04.12	Kayoa Selatan [24]	South Kayoa	25.90	5,856	6,822	6,559	Laluin	6	9	97780	Kayoa Islands
82.04.13	Kayoa Utara [25]	North Kayoa	39.22	2,671	2,896	2,781	Laromabati	6	3	97781	Kayoa Islands
Sub-totals	Kayoa Islands		179.81	20,176	23,111	21,996		30	66	9778x	Kayoa Islands
82.04.01	Pulau Makian (e) [26]	Makian Island	55.50	8,977	10,032	8,774	Kota	15	1	97785	Makian
82.04.10	Makian Barat (e) [27]	West Makian	35.54	3,417	3,968	3,549	Mateketen	7	-	97784	Makian
Sub-totals	Makian Island		91.04	12,394	14,000	12,323		22	1	9778x	Makian Island
82.04.04	Gane Barat [28]	West Gane	493.67	7,972	10,019	9,719	Saketa	10	7	97782	Halmahera
82.04.23	Gane Barat Selatan [29]	Southwest Gane	252.55	5,545	6,796	7,087	Gane Dalam	8	19	97782	Halmahera
82.04.24	Gane Barat Utara [30]	Northwest Gane	501.69	6,027	7,336	7,289	Dolik	12	-	97789	Halmahera
82.04.25	Kepulauan Joronga [31]	Joronga Islands	148.93	5,264	7,203	7,146	Kukupang	7	30 (f)	97786	Joronga Islands
82.04.03	Gane Timur [32]	East Gane	661.65	8,729	9,253	9,678	Maffa	12	1	97783	Halmahera
82.04.27	Gane Timur Tengah [33]	East Central Gane	309.67	3,796	4,354	4,719	Bisui	8	2	97788	Halmahera
82.04.26	Gane Timur Selatan (g) [34]	Southeast Gane	284.20	3,478	4,104	4,037	Gane Luar	5	85	97787	Halmahera
Sub-totals	Gane and offshore islands		2,652.36	40,811	49,065	49,674		62	144	9778x	Gane and Islands

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.^[35] The Widi International Fishing Tournament was founded for this purpose.^[36] Kasuba also successfully negotiated for the China-based Jinchun Group to build a nine-trillion rupiah nickel smelter in the Obi Islands.^[37]