Gorong archipelago explained

Gorong Kepulauan Gorom
Location:	South East Asia
Coordinates:	-4.0228°N 131.4169°W
Total Islands:	3
Major Islands:	Gorom, Panjang and Manawoka
Area Km2:	141.12
Country:	Indonesia
Country Admin Divisions Title:	Provinces
Country Admin Divisions:	Maluku
Population:	35,477
Population As Of:	mid 2022 estimate^[1]
Density Km2:	251.4
Ethnic Groups:	Melanesian

The Gorom (formerly called Gorong) archipelago is a group of islands situated between the Watubela archipelago and Ceram in the Maluku Islands.

History

The Nagarakretagama, an Old Javanese eulogy to king Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit written in 1365, mentions "Gurun" amongst the tributary countries of the kingdom.^[2]

The English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described the islands, which he called Goram, in chapter 25 of his 1869 book The Malay Archipelago.^[3]

Islands

The archipelago has main three islands, plus a further 20-plus small offshore islands.^[4]

• Gorom, the biggest island, with the villages of Miran (Miren) on the east coast, Ondor (Ondur) in the northwest and Hur on its southwestern coast.
• Panjang to the west of Gorong, with Wisalem village in its southern end.
• Manawoku in the south, with the villages of Arbau in the north, Amar and Derra, and Nama in the south.

The islands now form three separate districts (kecamatan) within East Seram Regency of Maluku. Pulau Gorom District includes the western half of Gorom Island and the whole of Manawoku Island, plus some smaller islands; Gorom Timur District includes just the eastern half of Gorom Island; and Pulau Panjang District covers Panjang Island.

Notes and References

1. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2023.
2. [Denys Lombard]
3. Book: The Malay Archipelago: The land of the orang-utan, and the bird of paradise. A narrative of travel, with sketches of man and nature . Macmillan . Wallace, Alfred Russel . 1869 . Alfred Russel Wallace . 1 . 25: Ceram, Goram, and the Matabello Islands.
4. Government of Indonesia Seram Bagian Timur map