Mentawai Islands

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Mentawai Islands are part of a series of non-volcanic islands located at 150 km off the west coast of Sumatra Island. This regency consists of four islands: Siberut, Sipora, Pagai Utara (North Pagai) and Pagai Selatan (South Pagai) island, inhabited by a majority of the people of Mentawai tribe. There are several other small islands (total of 213 Islands), mostly uninhabited.

Mentawai has several endemic species that are protected. Four of them are primates, namely Simakobu or pig tail monkey (Simias concolor), Bilou or dwarf siamang (Hylobates klossii), Joja or Mentawai langur (Presbytis potenziani), and Bokkoi or Mentawai monkey (Macaca Siberut).

Mentawai Islands is a tourist destination. Besides the existence of unexploited rainforests on the islands, the main potential of the Mentawai Islands are the waves are rolling and well suited to be a place of surfing. Its location directly overlooking the Indian Ocean, provide a consistent waves the Mentawai Islands throughout the year.

The time between April to August to coincide with summer holidays in Europe is the best time for surfing. In that season, Mentawai waves can reach six feet tall and this is the most sought after by surfers water. Mentawai Islands recorded has 400 surfing points which is often used as the location of surfing by surfers. Of the 400 surfing points, 23 points have international scale waves.

On October 26, 2010, a magnitude-7.2 earthquake triggered the tsunami, kills about 400 people.