Gili Islands

Gili Islands
Gili Islands and Mount Rinjani in the back
The Gili Islands, northwest of Lombok
Geography
LocationSouth East Asia
Coordinates8°21′S 116°04′E / 8.35°S 116.06°E / -8.35; 116.06
ArchipelagoLesser Sunda Islands
Total islands3
Major islandsTrawangan, Meno, Air
Area6.78 km2 (2.62 sq mi)
Highest elevation60 m (200 ft)
Administration
Indonesia
ProvinceWest Nusa Tenggara
Demographics
Population5,077 estimated permanent inhabitants (mid 2022 estimate)
Pop. density748.8/km2 (1939.4/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsBalinese, Sasak, Tionghoa-peranakan, Sumbawa people, Flores people, Arab Indonesian

The Gili Islands (Indonesian: Tiga Gili [Three Gilis], Kepulauan Gili [Gili Islands]) are an archipelago of three small islands or Gili island triplets[1] — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. The local name of these three islands is Gili Indah which means "small beautiful islands".[2] They were previously administered under Lombok Barat Regency along with Senggigi until 2010 when the Gili islands came under the jurisdiction of the new North Lombok Regency (Kabupaten Lombok Utara);[3] together they form an administrative village (desa) within the Pemenang District (kecamatan) of North Lombok Regency.

The islands are a tourist destination. Each island has several resorts, usually consisting of a collection of huts for tourists, a small pool and restaurant. The largest Indonesian settlement is located on Gili Air, however due to the amount of western expatriates who live on Trawangan together with the locals, it has become the more densely populated island, concentrated in a township stretching along its east side (this is also where the majority of tourist development has taken place). Automobiles and motorized traffic are prohibited on the islands by local ordinance, so the preferred method of transportation is by foot and bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage called a cidomo. Scuba diving and free diving in and around the Gilis is also common due to the abundance of marine life and coral formations. Most famous diving spots are Shark point, Manta point and Simon's reef.[4]

  1. ^ "Tourist Destinations Information". Tourist Destinations. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  2. ^ "Desa Gili Indah". desagiliindah.com. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  3. ^ "North Lombok Regency - Paket Wisata Lombok Tour Open Trip Lombok Gili Trawangan Rinjani Murah". Archived from the original on 2017-08-21. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
  4. ^ Lonely Planet guide to Bali & Lombok, Lonely Planet Publications, Melbourne, (2005)