Letti Islands

IEST (UTC+09:00)

The Letti Islands (Kepulauan Letti) of Indonesia are part of the Maluku Islands, in southwest Maluku Province. (The spelling Leti Islands is also used sometimes.) They are also called the "Lemola" Archipelago, from the initial two letters of each of the three main islands, Letti, Moa and Lakor; each of the three islands now constitutes a separate administrative district (kecamatan) within the Maluku Barat Daya Regency (Kabupaten Maluku Barat Daya)

The islands cover 564.30 square kilometres (220 sq mi) in area and supported a population of 16,664 at the 2010 Census, which had increased to 26,870 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 30,837.^[1] The most significant town is Pati, on Moa. Industries include the cultivation of rice, coconut palms and tobacco, animal husbandry, and fishing.

Letti proper, the westernmost island, covers 90.10 km² and had a population of 9,019 in mid 2023. The island is a triangular mountain ridge, subtended by Koli Besar mountain in the east and the Rapat mountains in the west.

Moa, the central and largest island, covers 361.60 km² and had a population of 18,953 in mid 2023. The town of Tiakur is the administrative centre for the Regency; it has an area of 45.43 km² and had a population of 3,546 at the 2020 Census.^[2]

Lakor, the easternmost island, covers 112.60 km² and had a population of 2,865 in mid 2023.

The Letti Islands are part of the Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests ecoregion.

Languages

The Leti language, a member of the Austronesian languages group, is spoken on Letti islands.

Administration

The Letti Islands form the Letti, Lakor and Moa Lakor districts of the Southwest Maluku Regency within Maluku Province.

The office of the district head (camat) of Letti is located in Serwaru, on the northern coast of Letti. The office of the camat of Moa Lakor is located in Weet on Moa. The office of the camat of Lakor is located in Wewawan on Lakor.