🌴 Batu Islands

The Batu Islands are an archipelago of Indonesia located in the Indian Ocean, off the west coast of Sumatra, between Nias and Siberut. The three primary islands, of approximately equal size, are Pini, Tanahmasa, and Tanahbala. There are seventy-five smaller islands, of which the largest are Sipika, Tello and Sigata, Simuk and Bojo ; less than half are inhabited. The total land area of the seven administrative districts is 1,201.1 km2 and the total population was officially estimated at 35,168 as at mid 2024, and projected to rise to 35,547 at mid 2025. The islands are governed as a part of South Nias regency within North Sumatra province. In Indonesian and Malay, batu means rock or stone.