The island forms an administrative district (Indonesian: Kecamatan Ambalau) which is part of the South Buru Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Buru Selatan) of Maluku province (Indonesian: Provinsi Maluku), Indonesia. It has a land area of 201.7 km2, and had a population of 6,846 at the 2010 Census.[1] The administrative center is Wailua, a settlement located at the south of the island. About half of the island's population is composed of indigenous Ambelau people who speak Ambelau language; the other half are mostly immigrants from the nearby Maluku Islands and Java.