Tarakan: the oil island of world war battles

Small oil-rich island off Borneo, Tarakan was the site of bloody battles during World War II for control of its petroleum deposits.

Taxis and motorcycle rentals remain the most common way to move around.

The Japanese bunkers of World War II, scattered across the island, recall the military occupation during the conflict for control of local oil.

Just minutes away, the Tarakan Turtle Sanctuary protects nesting sites for sea turtles along the island's beaches.

Moving inland you visit historic oil wells, some still active after over a century of uninterrupted exploitation.

In the evening, Tarakan markets sell fresh fish and seafood, the island's main food resource alongside oil.

Tarakan was the site of two bloody battles during World War II, first conquered by the Japanese in 1942 for its oil and then recaptured by Australian allies in 1945 after heavy losses on both sides.

Tarakan's oil wells, among Southeast Asia's oldest still operating, began production in the late nineteenth century under Dutch colonial administration, making the island a strategically coveted objective.