- Barat Daya Islands
The Barat Daya Islands (Indonesian: "Kepulauan Barat Daya") are a group of
island s in theMaluku province ofIndonesia . The Indonesian phrase "barat daya" means 'south-west', referring to the islands' location relative to the capital of Maluku province, Ambon.Geography
Wetar is the largest island in the group, which also includesRomang and Damar islands. To the west, theOmbai Strait separates Wetar fromAlor Island , the easternmost of theLesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara ). TheWetar Strait separates Wetar fromTimor to the south. Romang and Damar lie east of Wetar, separated by theRomang Strait from theLeti Islands andSermata Island.Ambon Island ,Buru , andSeram lie some distance north across theBanda Sea .The islands are part of a volcanic
island arc that includes theBanda Islands , created by the collision of theIndo-Australian Plate and theEurasian Plate . Romang and Damar are volcanic; Wetar consists mostly of oceanic crust that was pushed to the surface by the colliding plates. The Barat Daya and Banda islands constitute an inner arc; the outer arc, which includes Timor, theTanimbar Islands , and theKai Islands , is mostly made up of oceanic crust lifted up by the collision, and wraps around south and east of the inner arc. TheGunungapi Wetar Volcano (elevation 282 m), astratovolcano on Wetar, erupted in1699 and1512 . Wetar has severalgold mines.The islands, together with Timor, Nusa Tenggara,
Sulawesi , and most of Maluku, are part ofWallacea , the group of Indonesian islands that are separated by deep water from both the Australian and Asian continental shelves. The islands of Wallacea have never been linked by land to eitherAsia orAustralia , and as a result have few mammals and a mix of flora and fauna from both continents. Rainfall is highly seasonal based on themonsoon , and the islands are mostly covered in tropical dry broadleaf forests that are partlydeciduous , with many trees losing their leaves in the dry season. The Barat Daya Islands, together with Timor, the Leti Islands, and Alor, are designated as theTimor and Wetar deciduous forests ecoregion .ee also
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Islands of Indonesia
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