<![CDATA[Reliable land-cover information is required for spatial planning on small coastal islands where plantations, mangroves, settlements, and aquaculture compete within a limited land area. This study analyzed land-cover categories and land-cover change on Sembilan Island, Pangkalan Susu Sub-district, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, during the 2014-2019 period using satellite-image interpretation and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis. The materials included the administrative boundary map of Sembilan Island, Landsat-8 imagery for 2014, Sentinel imagery for 2019, land-cover maps, field ground-check data, and supporting literature. Seven land-cover classes were identified: open land, mangrove, oil palm plantation, settlement, paddy field, shrubs, and pond. The island covered 1,509.57 ha. Oil palm plantation increased from 308.32 ha in 2014 to 654.26 ha in 2019, while mangrove increased from 348.19 ha to 448.30 ha. On the other hand, open land decreased from 356.79 ha to 28.30 ha, while shrubs fell from 125.03 ha to 7.48 ha. The transition matrix revealed that the most significant change was from open land to oil palm plantation, totalling 343.81 ha, followed by the conversion of shrubs to mangrove, which accounted for 109.71 hectares. The results reveal a simultaneous trend of plantation growth and mangrove restoration, highlighting the need for improved coastal spatial planning, field verification and regular GIS-based monitoring.]]>
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