Morotai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Morotai

Geography
Location	Southeast Asia
Coordinates	2°19′N 128°27′E / 02.32°N 128.45°E / 02.32; 128.45
Archipelago	Maluku Islands
Area	2,336.6 km2 (902.2 sq mi)
Length	80 km (50 mi)
Width	42 km (26.1 mi)
Administration
Indonesia
Province	North Maluku
Regency	Morotai Island
Largest settlement	Daruba
Demographics
Population	78,270
Pop. density	33.5 /km2 (86.8 /sq mi)
Additional information
Time zone	EIT (UTC+09:00)

Morotai Island (which locals call Pulau Morotai) is a beautiful island in eastern Indonesia. It's part of the Maluku Islands, also known as the Moluccas. You can find it north of a larger island called Halmahera. Morotai is one of Indonesia's most northern islands.

This island is covered in forests and has a rugged landscape. It spans about 2,336 square kilometers, which includes a smaller island named Rao. Morotai is about 80 kilometers long from north to south and up to 42 kilometers wide. The biggest town on the island is Daruba, located on the south coast. Leo Wattimena Airport is also on Morotai. Most villages are along the coast. A paved road connects the east coast villages, starting from Daruba. In mid-2022, about 78,270 people lived on Morotai.

Morotai's Past: A Look at Its History

Morotai Island has a long history. It was once part of the Ternate Sultanate, a powerful kingdom. By the late 1600s, this sultanate became connected to the Dutch East India Company.

Morotai During World War II

In early 1942, during World War II, the Empire of Japan took control of Morotai. This was part of their plan to expand in the Dutch East Indies. Later, in 1944, US forces and their allies arrived. They bombed the island in August and then landed troops in September.

Japanese forces stayed on Morotai until 1945. However, they could not push back the Allied troops. By late 1944, about 61,000 Allied soldiers landed on the island. Many of them were engineers. They quickly built important things like harbors and two airstrips. They also set up large fuel storage areas.

The official surrender of the Second Japanese Army happened on Morotai on September 9, 1945. This marked the end of the war in that area. Years later, in 1974, the last known Japanese soldier who had not surrendered, Private Teruo Nakamura, was found on Morotai. He gave up to an Indonesian Air Force patrol.

The Permesta Rebellion on Morotai

After the Dutch left Indonesia in the late 1940s, the new Indonesian Air Force (AURI) continued to use one of the airstrips built during World War II. In 1958, a conflict known as the Permesta rebellion took place. AURI planes used the airstrip on Morotai to attack rebel areas.

The rebels had their own air force, called AUREV. Their planes and pilots were supported by the CIA. AUREV planes attacked Morotai on April 21 and again on April 26. After the second air raid, rebel forces landed on the island and quickly took control. Soon after, a transport plane landed, carrying rebel leaders and two Americans. One American, a USAF officer, checked the runway and said it was good enough for large bomber planes.

In May 1958, the Indonesian National Armed Forces began to gather their forces to take back Morotai. On May 20, their troops landed on the island. Special forces also parachuted onto Morotai. The rebel forces surrendered very quickly. This made other rebels in nearby areas flee. After this, the rebellion mostly stayed in one part of Sulawesi until it ended in 1962.

Morotai's Future: A Spaceport Plan

In 2012, Indonesia's national space agency, LAPAN, looked at three possible places for a future spaceport. They chose Morotai Island as the best location. Planning for the spaceport started in December 2012. It is expected to be finished by 2025.

Here are the main reasons why Morotai was chosen:

• Location near the Equator: Being close to the equator makes launching rockets into space cheaper and easier.
• Existing Runways: The island has seven runways. One of them is 2,400 meters long and can easily be made longer to 3,000 meters.
• Easy to Build: Morotai is not very crowded. This means it's easier to build the spaceport without causing problems for local people.
• Safety for Launches: The east side of Morotai faces the Pacific Ocean. This means that if anything goes wrong during a launch, debris would fall into the ocean, keeping other islands safe.

Morotai's Weather: What's the Climate Like?

Daruba, the main town on Morotai, has a tropical rainforest climate. This means it's warm and rainy all year. It gets a lot of rain from November to July. The months from August to October have a bit less rain, but it's still quite wet.

Famous People from Morotai

• Melky Goeslaw, a well-known singer and the father of another famous singer, Melly Goeslaw.

See also

• Battle of Morotai
• List of islands of Indonesia