Kepulauan Marore – Border-island kecamatan in Kepulauan Sangihe Regency, North Sulawesi
Kepulauan Marore is a kecamatan in Kepulauan Sangihe Regency, North Sulawesi province, in the Sangihe island chain north of Sulawesi proper. According to the Indonesian Wikipedia entry, the kecamatan covers about 11.02 square kilometres and had a population of around 1,483 in 2018, giving a density of roughly 135 inhabitants per square kilometre, distributed across three desa. Marore itself is one of Indonesia's outermost border islands, lying close to the maritime boundary with the Philippines and reachable only by sea or by infrequent special transport.
Tourism and attractions
Kepulauan Marore is not a marquee tourist destination but draws specific interest as one of the outermost inhabited Indonesian islands and a frontier point with the southern Philippines. Its small population, three desa and modest land area give it an intimate community character, with fishing, small-scale agriculture and cross-border trade shaping daily life. Kepulauan Sangihe Regency, of which Kepulauan Marore is part, is widely known for the active volcanic island of Karangetang on Siau, the volcanic island of Mahangetang with underwater hot springs, the Sangihe talaud cultural traditions and the Tarsier-and-Sahendaruman conservation interest. Travellers reach the wider archipelago via Tahuna or Naha and on to outer islands.
Property market
Detailed property-market data specific to Kepulauan Marore are not published in widely accessible sources, which is normal for an outermost-island kecamatan with about 1,500 inhabitants. Housing is dominated by single-storey landed houses and simple coastal dwellings built on family-owned land, with no record of branded housing estates, apartments or strata projects. Land tenure is largely customary and family-based, with limited formal BPN certification outside the regency centre at Tahuna. Verification of customary boundaries and consultation with desa leadership is essential before any acquisition, and outer-island land use is also subject to specific national regulations on outermost islands and small-island zoning.
Rental and investment outlook
Formal rental supply in Kepulauan Marore is minimal, with the population dominated by fishing and subsistence farming households and a handful of civil servants, teachers and health workers posted from the regency centre. The wider Sangihe economy combines fisheries, smallholder coconut and clove farming, cross-border trade and limited public-sector employment, with most tourism-style accommodation concentrated around Tahuna rather than outer islands. Investors weighing exposure to the area should treat the kecamatan market as essentially undeveloped commercially, with no established secondary market for completed housing and significant logistical and weather considerations typical of outermost border islands.
Practical tips
Kepulauan Marore is reached by sea from the Sangihe regency capital at Tahuna, with sailing times of many hours dependent on weather and vessel availability. Tahuna itself is reached by air via the small Naha Airport with services from Manado, or by overnight ferry from Manado. Basic services such as puskesmas primary healthcare clinics and primary schools are organised at desa level, with larger hospitals, banks and the regency administration in Tahuna. The climate is tropical maritime with a strong wet season; sea conditions can disrupt access. Foreign investors should note that Indonesian regulations restrict freehold land title to Indonesian citizens, and outer-border-island land use carries additional constraints.
