Savu

Sawu ( other names: Sawu, Sabu, Sawoe, Havu, Hawu, Hawoe or Raihawu ) is an island in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. It belongs to the district ( kabupaten ) Sawu Raijua and is the main island of Sawuinseln.

Sawu located south of the Savu Sea, at the transition to the Indian Ocean. To the west lies Sumba, Flores in the north and east Timor and Roti. Southwest, are the smaller, also belonging to the neighboring islands Sawuinseln Raijua and Raidana.

Geography

Sawu is 379.9 km ² and is 366 meters .. The island is mostly covered with grassland and palm trees and surrounded by sandy beaches and coral reefs. The climate is dry most of the year, as hot winds of Australia waft. 82-94 % of the rain falls between November and March in the time of the West monsoon from August to October falls almost no rain. Sawu has an annual rainfall amount of 1019 mm.

The Sawu Barn Owl is an endemic species to Sawu.

Volcanism

The Sawuinseln lie along a tectonic subduction zone at which the Indo- Australian Plate moves northward under the Eurasian plate. The islands are located on an ocean backs, which is formed by volcanic activity due to plate movements. However, the volcanoes are no longer active. Due to the subduction to Sawu but still raises annually by a millimeter and 1977 there were 280 km southwest of Raijua to a large earthquake of magnitude 7.9 on the Richter scale. A tsunami then flooded the level at Seba from the airport. On the neighboring islands of Sumba and Sumbawa, there were a total of 180 dead ..

Population

On Sawu about 30,000 people live. It has close historical connections with Hinduism in Java and the residents consider themselves to be descendants of Indian immigrants. Practiced traditional animist religion called Djingi Tiu. Dutch missionaries brought Protestantism to the Sawuinseln, which can also be found here. The native language is Sawunesisch.

History

The first contacts with the Dutch East India Company took place in 1648. 1674 the crew of a Dutch schooner in the east Sawus was massacred. In response, the Dutch allied with the Raja of Seba, and sent troops to retaliate. The fortress of Hurati with his three defensive walls, the village B'olou, but could not be taken. Thus, the Dutch were content with a compensation payment in the form of slaves, gold and pearls.

1770 James Cook visited Sawu and stayed for three days before he went on to Batavia. Although the stay was brief, authored Cook and the co-moving botanist Joseph Banks, a detailed report about the island and its inhabitants. Most of the information they received from the representatives of the Dutch East India Company, the German Long, who was stationed at that time on Sawu.

Traffic

Ferries connect Sawu with Waingapu on Sumba and with the provincial capital Kupang in West Timor. There is also a flight connection to Kupang.