Overview
01Overview
Southeast Maluku Regency is a regency of Maluku, Indonesia. It is coincident with the Kei Islands, excluding the independent city of Tual, The land area of the Regency is 1,031.81 km2, while the sea area administered by the Regency was 3,181 km2; it had a population of 96,442 at the 2010 Census; this increased to 121,511 at the 2020 Census, and the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 129,235.
History
01History
The Regency as originally created included all the southern island groups within Maluku (province) from Wetar Island in the west to the Aru Islands in the east. On 4 October 1999 the western part of this regency was split off to create the West Southeast Maluku Regency (which has subsequently been divided between the Southwest Maluku Regency and the Tanimbar Islands Regency). On 18 December 2003 the Aru Islands were split off to form their own Regency, and on 17 July 2007 the City of Tual was split off to become an independent city.
Geography
01Geography
The two principal islands of the Regency are Kei Besar (Greater Kei) in the east and the slightly smaller (excluding those parts of the island now in Tual City) but more densely populated Kei Kecil (Lesser Kei) in the west. The capital is located at Langgur on Kei Kecil. The third-largest island in the group, Dullah, on which the city of Tual is located, is no longer within the Regency.
Kei Besar is long, thin and mountainous. Kei Besar's topography varies between 500 and 800 metres above sea level, and differs from the islands to the west by having a karst formation in the middle of it. Kei Kecil (also called Nuhuroa) is more low-lying, not exceeding about 100 metres above sea level, and contains much swampland; the regency's nominal capital, Langgur, is situated in the north-east of the island, just across a tiny channel from Tual on Dullah Island, and effectively forms a suburb of the City of Tual.
About 50 smaller, forest-covered coral islands lie of the west coast of Kei Kecil; about 33 are part of Kei Kecil District, including Ngaf, Ohoitir, Ohouwa, Nai, Warhu, Hoat and Tangwain; about 16 are part of Kei Kecil Barat District, including Lik, Tarwa, Waha, Warbal, Manir, Ur, Witir, Nuhuta and (further south) Tanimbar Kei. Further groups of islands which lie more to the west (but geographically part of the Kei Islands) form part of Tual City - including the Tayando-Tam group of 27 islands and (even more to the west) the Kur group of 9 islands.
02Climate
Langgur, the seat of the regency has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with moderate rainfall from July to October and heavy to very heavy rainfall from November to June.