NIAS

Indonesian Pulau Nias island and kabupaten (regency), Sumatera Utara provinsi (province), Indonesia. It is the largest island in a chain paralleling the western coast of Sumatra. With an area of 1,842 square miles (4,772 square km), it has a topography much like that of western Sumatra but without volcanoes. The highest elevation is 2,907 feet (886 m). Nias' coasts are rocky or sandy and without any ports, and ships must anchor offshore of Guningsitoli on the eastern coast and Telukdalem on the south. Most of the people are animists, belong to the early (Proto-) Malay stock, and speak dialects of a distinct branch of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family. Some are Christian and Muslim converts. Megalithic monuments and wooden sculptures honouring the dead or representing fertility are common throughout the island. In northern Nias, villages are small and located on hilltops, each enclosing a stone-paved rectangle. Larger villages in southern Nias may include a bathing pool. Houses are built on piles, the chief's house being particularly large with a high roof and massive carved pillars and beams. Pop. (1980) 468,375.