According to the Central Maluku legend, the three rivers (Eti, Tala and Sapalewa) flow from a sacred lake on the mountain peak called Nunusaku. There grows a ficus tree with three big roots, each stretching in the direction of these rivers, and is where the Alifuru people of Seram island, who later inhabited the surrounding islands, originated.[2] The three rivers are known in local language as Kwele Batai TeluorKwalai Batai Telu ("three stream branches"; Indonesian: "Tiga Ruas Sungai") watering the island of Seram (Nusa Ina).[3] "Nunusaku" (a lost great kingdom according to legend)[3] is a term consisting of two words: "nunu" (ficus tree) and "saku" (truth).[4] This place is located in the area of Manusa-Manue and considered impassable by humans.[4] Alune and Wemale people live in the watershed areas of the three rivers. Alune inhabit the whole area of the Eti, the mountainous area of Tala and most of coastal Sapalewa, while the Wemale live east of the Tala and Sapalewa.[4]
The Tala is one of the three main basins of the western side of Seram.[5] It flows southward,[6] and empties into El-Paputih Bay on the southwest coast of the island.
The river flows in the western area of Seram island with predominantly tropical rainforest climate (designated as Af in the Köppen-Geiger climate classification).[7] The annual average temperature in the area is 22 °C. The warmest month is March, when the average temperature is around 24 °C, and the coldest is June, at 20 °C.[8] The average annual rainfall is 3349 mm. The wettest month is July, with an average of 442 mm rainfall, and the driest is October, with 112 mm rainfall.[9]
