Semau

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / area missing

Semau ( Pulau Semau, Pusmau ) is an Indonesian island of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It belongs to the Timor archipelago.

Geography

Semau lies off the western tip of Timor from which it is separated by the Strait of Semau. On the other side of the Bay of Kupang is the provincial capital, about 20 nautical miles away Kupang. The crossing by motorboat takes about 30 minutes. Northwest of Semau is the Savu Sea, south separates the road from Roti Semau from the island of Roti. Further south is the Timor Sea. The highest elevation Semaus reaches 210 m above sea level. Off the east coast Semaus is the small island Kambang and southwest of the island Tabui.

Semau part of the administrative district ( kabupaten ) Kupang the province of East Nusa Tenggara, which occupies the eastern part of the Lesser Sunda Islands.

Population

On Semau live among other Rotinesen that were originally derived from the neighboring island of Roti and settled during the Dutch colonial time here. However, the majority of the population are the Helong, who also live on the coast of the western tip of Timor.

Fauna

Semau belongs to the area of Wallacea. Thus, fauna and flora of the island part of the biogeographical transition zone between the Asian and Australian flora and fauna, which is why, on both types of the Asian region, as well as from species of the Australian region here. Alfred Russel Wallace, the naturalist was named after the Wallacea, 1859 lived four days in the city of Ui - Assa ( Oeassa ) on Semau during his journey through the Malay Archipelago. Semau is an Important Bird Area.

Flashy representatives of the fauna Semaus include the Yellow-crested Cockatoo ( Cacatua sulphurea ), the Green Timor Dove ( Treron psittaceus ), the Timor - rice finch ( Padda fuscata ), Timor - water python ( Liasis mackloti ) and the Timor Monitor Lizard ( Varanus timorensis ).