Summary
Abstract No island in Nusa Tenggara and Maluku (NT&M) is more than 20,000 km in area, and approximately 84% are less than 10,000 km. All land resources are therefore limited. Yet the region is perhaps the most diverse in Indonesia. Its myriad islands range from small atolls barely appearing abov...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | unknown |
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Oxford University PressOxford
1997
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198501848.003.0012 https://academic.oup.com/book/chapter-pdf/52533415/isbn-9780198501848-book-part-12.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract No island in Nusa Tenggara and Maluku (NT&M) is more than 20,000 km in area, and approximately 84% are less than 10,000 km. All land resources are therefore limited. Yet the region is perhaps the most diverse in Indonesia. Its myriad islands range from small atolls barely appearing above the high-tide level and flat continental-shelf islands to active volcanic islands over 3500 m asl. Mt. Rinjani is the second-highest volcano in Indonesia and Mt. Tambora one of the country’s most important geological sites. Coastal plains are often no more than a narrow fringe around mountainous centres. Each province has extensive coastlines and in fact only 10% of the province of Maluku is land (77,990 km): 776,500 km is covered by sea. The seas include shallow continental shelves and some of the deepest sea basins in the world. The complexity and vulnerability of these islands means that development and environment are inextricably linked. If this is not understood and acted upon, there is no possibility for the ecologically sustainable development of NT&M. |
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