Nusakambangan Island, Prison island in Central Java, Indonesia
Nusakambangan is a forested island off the southern coast of Java in Indonesia, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait near Cilacap. Several maximum security prison complexes occupy portions of the land, interspersed with stretches of white sand coastline and dense tropical vegetation that reaches down to the water.
The Dutch colonial administration built the first correctional institution on the island in 1925, turning it into a penal colony. After Indonesian independence, the site continued to serve prison purposes and became the location for inmates serving life sentences and death row prisoners.
The western bay goes by the name Teluk Penyu, Turtle Bay, because green sea turtles come ashore here to lay eggs. Fishermen from Cilacap sail across the strait at certain times of year to attend traditional ceremonies connecting their ancestors to the Surakarta Sultanate.
Access to the island requires advance clearance from Indonesian authorities, as visits are only allowed in supervised group settings. The crossing from Cilacap is made by boat, with open ocean swells sometimes making the journey bumpy and less comfortable.
The forests here grow the wijayakusuma flower, which Javanese legends say holds powers of resurrection. The bloom opens only at night for a few hours and wilts at sunrise, something locals see as a symbol of victory over mortality.
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