Samosir

Samosir Island

Native name: Pulau Samosir (Indonesian) Pulo Samosir (Batak)
Samosir is in the middle of Lake Toba.
Samosir Island
Geography
Location	South East Asia
Coordinates	2°35′N 98°49′E / 2.583°N 98.817°E / 2.583; 98.817
Area	630 km2 (240 sq mi)
Administration
Indonesia
Demographics
Population	108,869[1] (2020 Census)
Pop. density	172.8/km2 (447.5/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Batak

Samosir, or Samosir Island, is a large volcanic island in Lake Toba, located in North Sumatra Province on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Administratively, Samosir Island is governed as six of the nine districts within Samosir Regency. The lake and island were formed after the eruption of the Toba supervolcano some 75,000 years ago.^[2]

At 630 square kilometres (243 sq mi), Samosir is the largest island within an island and the fourth largest lake island in the world.^[3] It also contains two smaller lakes, Lake Sidihoni and Lake Aek Natonang [id]. Across the lake on the east of the island lies the Uluan Peninsula. The island was historically linked to the mainland of Sumatra on its western part by a narrow isthmus connecting the town of Pangururan on Samosir and Tele on mainland Sumatra, but it was split by the Tano Ponggol Canal and bridge in 1906, which was widened in 2019.^[4] Tele consequently offers one of the best views of Lake Toba and Samosir Island. One of the most important objects on the island is a Lutheran church, and opposite it is a huge hill.