Sangir Besar, commonly called Sangir Island (with the spelling variants "Sangihe", "Sanghir" or "Sangi"), is an island in the
Sangir Islands
The Sangihe Islands (also spelled "Sangir", "Sanghir" or "Sangi") – id, Kepulauan Sangihe – are a group of islands which constitute two regencies within the province of North Sulawesi, in northern Indonesia, the Sangihe Islands Regen ...
group. Its
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
name literally means "Great Sangir", in reference to the fact that it is the archipelago's main island. It is part of the
North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the Minahasa Peninsula of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia. It borders the Philippine province of Davao Occidental and Soccsks ...
province. The main language is the
Sangir language
Sangirese, also known as ''Sangihé, Sangi'', and ''Sangih'', is an Austronesian language spoken on the islands linking northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, with Mindanao, Philippines by the Sangirese people.
It belongs to the Philippine group within ...
.
It was the scene of the violent eruption of
Gunung Awu
Mount Awu ( id, Gunung Awu) is the largest volcano in the Sangihe chain, located on Sangir Island in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Powerful eruptions occurred in 1711, 1812, 1856, 1892 and 1966 with devastating pyroclastic flows and lahars that ha ...
volcano on 2 March 1856.
The existing mountain was reshaped by the eruption, and flooding was extensive. The death toll was estimated to exceed two thousand, possibly as high as 6,000. Other major eruptions occurred in 1966 and 2004.
The critically endangered
cerulean flycatcher
The cerulean flycatcher (''Eutrichomyias rowleyi'') is a medium-sized (up to 18 cm long), blue passerine with bright cerulean blue plumage, a bare white orbital ring, dark brown iris, bluish black bill and pale blue-grey below. The young has ...
and
Sangihe whistler
The Sangihe whistler or Sangihe shrikethrush (''Coracornis sanghirensis'') is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to Sangihe Island in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It ...
are endemic to Sangir Island.
References
External links
Sangir-Talaud group
Landforms of the Celebes Sea
Landforms of North Sulawesi
Sangihe Islands
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