Introduction to Indonesia and the Mentawai Islands

Indonesia – some facts o Indonesia is an archipelago made up of over 17,000 islands straddling the equator (0° latitude). o Indonesia is very seismically active and has over 400 volcanoes; 130 of which are active. o Indonesia has 2 main islands – Sumatra and Java – with the country’s capital city, Jakarta, being located on Java. o Indonesia is the 4 th largest country in the world by population with over 240 million people. o It is the largest Muslim country in the world.

Natural Hazards Indonesia is located in the world’s most seismically active region (the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’) and so experiences frequent earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. The Pacific Ring of Fire is home to 90% of the world’s earthquakes.

Look at the map below to see where most earthquakes occur – what is the relationship between this and tectonic plates?

php/current-hazards-map php/current-hazards-map Click on link to see an image of the earth where plate boundaries are clear. Zoom in on Indonesia. The Indo-Australian Plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate, where most of Indonesia is located, at a rate of around mm per year – this is very rapid (the Plates under NZ are moving at 5mm per year). Cross-section of Indonesian region

Effects of a disaster – Boxing Day Tsunami 2004, Indonesia National Geographic documentary about the Boxing Day Tsunami Part 1: Part 2: Part 3:

The Mentawai Islands o The Mentawai Islands make up part of the Indonesian archipelago. o There are about 70 islands in the Mentawai island chain and they lie just South of the equator. o There are over 70,000 people living in the Mentawais. o This area is known for its amazing surf.

Location Mentawai Islands The Mentawai Islands are approximately 140km off the western coast of the main island of Sumatra. This location experiences high energy waves so is popular for surf tourism

Impact of tourism (a movement of people which has consequences) Surf tourism grew in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and brought surfers from NZ, Australia, USA and Western European countries to remote Indonesian communities. This would eventually bring the people who would found SurfAid International to the Mentawai region. Click on link to watch Bombora documentary on the growth of surf culture.