Mentawai

a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the island of Sumatra. They belong to Indonesia. There are approximately 70 islands with a total area of 6,100 sq km; the largest is Siberut. The relief is hilly, with elevations to 406 m, and there are coral reefs off the northeastern shores. The climate is subequatorial monsoonal, with 3,000-4,000 mm of precipitation per year. Evergreen tropical rain forests grow on the islands. The principal occupations are farming—the production of sugar, sago, and tobacco and the growing of coconuts—and fishing.