Omba Island

About

Omba Island (also known as Ombai) is the historical European name for Alor Island (Indonesian: Pulau Alor), the largest island in the Alor Archipelago of East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It is located in the Lesser Sunda Islands, north of Timor and separated from it by the Ombai Strait. The island was described by the English explorer William Dampier during his 1699 voyage aboard HMS Roebuck, as recorded in A Continuation of a Voyage to New Holland: That afternoon we saw the opening between the islands Omba and Fetter, but feared to pass through in the night. At two o'clock in the morning it fell calm; and continued so till noon, in which time we drove with the current back again south-west six or seven leagues. On the 22nd, steering to the eastward to get through between Omba and Fetter, we met a very strong tide against us, so that we, although we had a very fresh gale, yet made way very slowly; yet before night got through. By a good observation we found that the south-east point of Omba lies in latitude 8 degrees 25 minutes. In my charts it is laid down in 8 degrees 10 minutes. My true course from Babao is east 25 degrees north, distance one hundred and eighty-three miles. We sounded several times when near Omba, but had no ground. On the north-east point of Omba we saw four or five men, and a little further three pretty houses on a low point, but did not go ashore.

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