Kai Islands Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Kai Islands (or Kei Islands) form an island group that is part of the Maluku province of Indonesia.
The islands are southeast of Seram, west of the Aru Islands, and northeast of the Tanimbar Islands. The Kai islands are made up of numerous islands, including Kai Besar (Great Kai), Kai Kecil (Little Kai) and Kai Dulah, and the Kur and Tayandu island groups. The Kai Islands' total land area is 1438 kmē (555 sq mi).
The Kai islands are part of Wallacea, the group of Indonesian Islands that are separated by deep water from both the Asian and Australian continental shelves, and were never linked to either continent. As a result, the Kai islands have few native mammals.
The chief island is Kai Besar, which is mountainous and densely forested. The people are skilled boat builders, using the islands' valuable timber for their boats.
Three Austronesian languages are spoken on the Kai Islands; Kei is the most widely spoken, in 207 villages on Kei Kecil, Kei Besar, and surrounding islands. Kur is spoken on Kur Island and nearby islands, where Kei is used as a lingua franca. Banda is spoken in the villages of Banda-Eli and Banda-Elat on the west and northeastern side of Kei Besar Island. The people originally came from the Banda Islands, but the language is no longer spoken there. Geography
Kai Besar
Languages