Salawati

Islam first arrived in the Raja Ampat archipelago in the 15th century due to political and economic contacts with the Bacan Sultanate. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Sultanate of Tidore had close economic ties with the island. The name of the island comes from Shalawat which was spoken by the Sultan of Bacan as he arrived on the island and memorialized as 'Salawati'. The southern part of the island is the region of the former Sailolof Kingdom based in Sailolof, which was founded by Fun Mo, a Moi not related to the other kings but later married Pinfun Libit, daughter of Waigeo's king. ==Administration==

Salawati Island (with small offshore islets) comprises five administrative districts (kecamatan) of Southwest Papua Province. The northern part of the island is divided into North Salawati (Salawati Utara), West Salawati (Salawati Barat), and Central Salawati (Salawati Tengah) districts of Raja Ampat Regency, while the southern part is divided into South Salawati (Salawati Selatan) and Central Salawati (Salawati Tengah) districts of Sorong Regency. Note that the name of Central Salawati District is held by two different districts in adjacent parts of the two regencies. Altogether the five districts cover an area of 1,902.1 km21 (including offshore islands), and had a combined population of 9,891 in mid 2024. Notes: (a) within Raja Ampat Regency. (b) within Sorong Regency. (c) the 2010 population of the new Salawati Tengah District of Sorong Regency is included with the figure for Salawati Selatan District from which it was separated. There is also a Salawati District on the Papuan mainland, facing Salawati Island across the islet-studded Sele Strait. It is also a part of Sorong Regency but is obviously not part of Salawati Island. ==Pulau Salawati Utara Nature Reserve==

Pulau Salawati Utara Nature Reserve covers much of the northern portion of the island, with an area of 570 km2 on the northern portion of the island. It protects part of the island's native lowland rainforest. ==See also==