Banggai Islands Regency
Kabupaten Banggai Kepulauan | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Location within Central Sulawesi | |
| Coordinates: 1°24′31″S 123°12′23″E / 1.408619°S 123.206363°E | |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Region | Sulawesi |
| Province | Central Sulawesi |
| Capital | Salakan |
| Government | |
| • In Order Regent | Rais D. Adam |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,488.79 km2 (960.93 sq mi) |
| Population (mid 2023 estimate)[1] | |
| • Total | 123,420 |
| • Density | 50/km2 (130/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (ICST) |
| Area code | (+62) 462 |
| Website | banggaikep |
The Banggai Archipelago (Indonesian: Kepulauan Banggai) is a group of islands located at the far eastern end of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It makes up a regency (kabupaten) of Central Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, created on 4 October 1999 by splitting the existing Banggai Regency into a residual Banggai Regency situated on the mainland of Sulawesi (capital, Luwuk) and a new Banggai Islands Regency (Kabupaten Banggai Kepulauan) then comprising the entire archipelago (with its capital at Banggai town). On 14 December 2012 a splitting of the Banggai Islands archipelago took place with the removal of the more southerly seven districts (including Banggai Island itself, together with smaller islands to its southwest and southeast) from the 13-year-old regency to form a separate Banggai Laut Regency.
The reduced Banggai Islands Regency thus consists of the main island of Peleng, together with various small offshore islands, of which the largest is Bangkalan Island off the north coast of Peleng. It covers an area of 2,488.79 km2 and had a population of 109,384 at the 2010 census[2] and 120,142 at the 2020 census;[3] the official population estimate at mid-2023 was 123,420 (comprising 62,461 males and 60,959 females).[1] The archipelago is surrounded by the Banda Sea's Gulf of Tolo (Teluk Tolo), and the Molucca Sea. The Peleng Straits (Selat Peleng) separate Peleng from the mainland of Sulawesi.