Alor Island

About

Alor (Indonesian: Pulau Alor) is the largest island in the Alor Archipelago and is one of the 92 officially listed outlying islands of Indonesia. It is located at the eastern end of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain that runs through southeastern Indonesia, which from the west include such islands as Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo, and Flores. To the east of the island across the Ombai Strait lie the islands of Wetar (in Maluku Province) and Atauro, the latter belonging to East Timor. To the south, across the Strait of Alor, lies the western part of Timor. To the north lies the Banda Sea. To the west lies Pantar and the other islands of the Alor archipelago, and further yet the rest of the Sunda Islands. Alor Island, as well as the rest of its archipelago, is part of East Nusa Tenggara province.

Alor has an area of about 2,119 km2, making it the largest island of the Alor archipelago. Kalabahi is the only town on the island of Alor, with an estimated population of 19,210 in mid 2023. The variety of goods obtainable in Kalabahi is surprising considering its size and location. The 2010 census recorded the population of the island as 145,125 out of 190,026 in the regency. The 2020 census produced a total of 163,377, and the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 177,006. Alor is of volcanic origin and has very rugged terrain. The main part of the island is mountainous, but there is a prominent peninsula along its north coast which includes the main town of Kalabahi; the peninsula encompasses the administrative districts of Alor Barat Laut and Kabola, plus the northern half of the Mutiara Bay District (kecamatan Teluk Mutiara). This peninsula is called the Bird's Head. The region near Kalabahi is the only flat area. This may be why the Dutch chose the location as the capital and main harbor (Alor-Kecil) in 1911. On 12 November 2004, an earthquake occurred, killing 34 people, and injuring 400. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).

Alor Island comprises twelve of the eighteen districts of the Alor Regency, as follows, with the official estimates as at mid 2025. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 107 rural desa (villages) and 16 urban kelurahan, and its post code.

Notes: (a) including the kelurahan of Moru. (b) the 2010 population of the new Abad Selatan District is included with the figure for Alor Barat Daya District, from which it was subsequently split off in 2020. (c) including the kelurahan of Kelaisi Timur. (d) including the kelurahan of Kolana Utara. (e) including the town of Kalabahi, and neighbouring rural desa on both sides of Mutiara Bay, plus uninhabited Pulau Kapas. (f) comprises 10 kelurahan (Kalabahi Barat, Kalabahi Kota, Kalabahi Tengah, Kalabahi Timur, Binongko, Nusa Kenari, Welai Barat, Welai Timur, Mutiara and Wetabua) and 6 desa. (g) includes the uninhabited offshore islands of Sika and Nub. (h) includes the kelurahan of Kabola. (i) apart from villages of Alila Timur and Lawahing (which have a postcode of 85851). (j) includes the offshore islands of Pulau Kepa, Pulau Buaya and uninhabited Pulau Ternate. (k) includes the kelurahan of Adang.

The island's infrastructure is only weakly built. The inhabitants practice mainly subsistence agriculture. In the villages, vanilla, tamarind, almonds (Canarium) and other nuts are cultivated. In the forests sandalwood is cut down for trade. The latest geological explorations have discovered valuable resources such as gypsum, kaolin, petroleum, natural gas, tin, gold, and diamonds. Alor's snorkelling and diving may promise an increase in tourism in the future. Alor hosts some of the most healthy and diverse corals in Indonesia and has areas of black volcanic sand for specialized scuba diving interests.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.