About Alor

Indonesia is the world’s largest island country with more than 17’000 unique and beautiful islands, and Alor is one of those islands. It lies east of Bali and Flores, and north of Timor, in the coral triangle, with the Savu Sea to the South, and the Banda Sea to the North. It is in the southeastern part of Indonesia in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, at the eastern Lesser Sunda islands.

The size of the island is approximately 2’800 square kilometers (roughly 1’700 miles) and is the largest island in the Alor archipelago. More than 200’000 people live on Alor, of which 60’000 live in the main town of Kalabahi.

The landscape around Alor consists mainly of rugged terrain and volcanic rock. Pristine, white powdery beaches can be found in the South of Alor as well as on Pantar island across the strait.

The culture and languages of Alor have been greatly influenced by Papuan and Polynesian traditions. Indigenous tribes can be found in Alor, along with over 15 different traditional languages. The majority of the inhabitants are Protestants or Muslims, while a minority is Catholic or Animistic.

The Alorese live mainly from subsistence agriculture and fishing. They use bamboo baskets called “bubu” which they place on the reef to catch fish, a traditional and sustainable fishing method passed down from one generation to the next.