Sibolga Bay

thumb|right|The Harbour of Sibolga, c. 1910-1920 thumb|right|View of Sibolga Bay over the old European quarter, 1917 '''Sibolga Bay''' (formerly known by the Dutch ''Baai van Tapanoeli'', literally '''The Bay of Tapanoeli'''; alternatively '''Tapanuli Bay''') is a natural harbour on the west coast of North Sumatra, Sumatra, Indonesia. It is named after the city of Sibolga which is located inside of the bay.

In terms of wildlife, the waters of the bay are home to a large coral reef ecosystem.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fadhilah |first1=A |last2=Harahap |first2=Z A |date=2020-05-01 |title=Diversity of Reef Fish in Tapian Nauli Bay, Central Tapanuli |journal=Journal of Physics: Conference Series |volume=1542 |issue=1 |article-number=012023 |doi=10.1088/1742-6596/1542/1/012023 |issn=1742-6588|doi-access=free |bibcode=2020JPhCS1542a2023F }}</ref> The bay lends its name to the species ''Pongo Tapanuliensis'', or the Tapanuli orangutan, a critically endangered great ape native to the region surrounding the bay.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Meijaard |first1=Erik |last2=Ni'matullah |first2=Safwanah |biorxiv=10.1101/2020.08.11.246058 |language=en |last3=Dennis |first3=Rona |last4=Sherman |first4=Julie |last5=Onrizal |last6=Wich |first6=Serge A. |title=The historical range and drivers of decline of the Tapanuli orangutan |journal=PLOS ONE |date=2021 |volume=16 |issue=1 |article-number=e0238087 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0238087 |doi-access=free |pmid=33395430 |pmc=7781382 |bibcode=2021PLoSO..1638087M }}</ref>

There are a few islands in the bay, one of which was formerly controlled by the English and the Dutch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sibolga, Indonesia |url=https://www.avantiworldtravel.com/location/sibolga |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=Avanti World Travel |language=en}}</ref>

==Tsunamis== The area is relatively exposed to tsunamis. Notable instances of tsunamis in the area include one in 1852<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rastogi |first1=B. K. |last2=Jaiswal |first2=R. K. |date=2006 |title=A Catalog of Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean |url=https://library.lanl.gov/tsunami/ts253.pdf |journal=International Journal of the Tsunami Society |volume=25 |issue=3 |page=135 |via=Los Alamos National Laboratory}}</ref> and one in 1935, the latter of which reportedly destroyed multiple huts.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Soloviev |first1=S. L. |last2=Go |first2=Ch. N. |date=1984 |title=Catalogue of Tsunamis on the Western Shore of the Pacific Ocean |url=https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/library-bibliotheque/69881.pdf |journal=Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |issue=5077 |page=282 |via=Government of Canada}}</ref> The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hit the area hard.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==See also== *Sibolga *Central Tapanuli Regency

Category:Sibolga Category:Bays of Indonesia Category:Landforms of North Sumatra