ana sengga (alor island)

Alor is the largest island in the
Alor Archipelago located at the
eastern-most end of the Lesser
Sunda Islands that runs
through southern Indonesia,
which from the west include
such islands as Bali, Lombok,
Sumbawa, Komodo, and Flores.
To the east of the island across
the Ombai Strait lie the islands
of Wetar and Atauro, the latter
belonging to East Timor. To the
south, across the Strait of Alor,
lies the western part of Timor.
To the north lies the Banda Sea.
To the west lies Pantar and the
other islands of the Alor
archipelago, and further yet the
rest of the Sunda Islands.
Geography
Alor has an area of about
2800 km², making it the largest
island of the Alor archipelago.
Kalabahi is the only town on
the island of Alor, with a
metropolitan population of
about 60,000. The variety of
goods obtainable in Kalabahi is
surprising considering its size
and location.
Alor is of volcanic origin and
has very rugged terrain. The
region near Kalabahi is the only
flat area. This is why the Dutch
placed the capital and the main
harbor (Alor-Kecil) of the area
here in 1911.
"The best" snorkelling and
diving in Indonesia can be
found in the Alor archipelago.
Due to intriguing and often
very strong currents it is best
to snorkel or dive with
someone who knows the area
well. Transportation to Alor by
TransNusa Trigana Air, from
Kupang, Denpasar and
Surabaya.
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Economy
The island's infrastructure is
only weakly built. The
inhabitants practice mainly
subsistence agriculture. The
government seeks to change
this with the help of
international organizations. In
the villages vanilla, tamarind,
almonds and other nuts are
cultivated. In the forests
sandalwood is cut down for
trade.
The latest geological
explorations have discovered
valuable resources such as
gipsum, kaolin, petroleum,
natural gas, tin, gold, and
diamonds.
Alor's highly-esteemed
snorkeling and diving promise
an increase in tourism in the
future. Depletion of the
fisheries has however
damaged the coral reefs in
recent years.