Weh Island
Indonesia · Asia
About
Weh Island (Indonesian: Pulau Weh, Acehnese: Pulo Wèh) is a small active volcanic island to the northwest of Sumatra in Indonesia, also known as Sabang after the city situated on the northeast end of the island, whose area of 122.13 square kilometres (47.15 sq mi) includes the whole island as well as several offshore islets. It had a population of 43,527 at the official mid-2023 estimate. It is 45 minutes by fast regular ship or 2 hours by ferry from the mainland port of Banda Aceh. It was originally connected to the Sumatran mainland and became separated by sea after the stratovolcano's last eruption in the Pleistocene era. The island is situated in the Andaman Sea.
The island is known for its ecosystem; the Indonesian government has declared 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi) of inland and sea around the island as a wildlife protection area. A rare megamouth shark species was found on shore and the island is the only habitat for the threatened toad, Duttaphrynus valhallae (formerly Bufo valhallae). Coral reef areas around the island are known for their large variety of fish species.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.