Gorap is a creole of Malay predominantly spoken by Bobaneigo ethnic group, indigenous to western and northern regions of the Indonesian island of Halmahera.^[2] It shares vocabulary with other Papuan languages and some of languages spoken in Sulawesi, such as Buginese and Cia-Cia. Roughly around 60 out of 200 attested words in this language were indicated sharing vocabulary with those languages.^[3]

Gorap language is spoken natively on the Indonesian island of Halmahera, specifically in the Kao Teluk district which is administratively part of the North Halmahera regencial region and also in the East Jailolo district in the West Halmahera regencial region.^[2] This language is also spoken by its diasporic community, especially those who lives on the island of Morotai (especially South Morotai) and also on the island of Sulawesi (especially Southeast Sulawesi).

This language is spoken in 10 hamlets in the Northern Halmahera island which from population surveys is inhabited by the Gorap ethnic group as much as 87.68%, Makian 1.29%, Galela 1.37%, Ternate 0.60%, Tobelo 0.55%, Sanger 6.67%, Bugis 1.24%, Java 0.77%, and Maba as much as 1.03%.^[3][2]

Gorap is classified as a creole language of East Indonesian Malay. It is creolized because it is used as the lingua franca of the people in the area where other languages in the Austronesian and Papuan family are spoken, so most of its vocabulary is influenced by the surrounding languages.^[3] Malay and other Sulawesi languages indicated to be spoken in the Halmahera itself is thought to have spread through trader from the Sulawesi region who traded using the language.^[2] According to Glottolog, the Gorap language along with Manado Malay and North Moluccan Malay are grouped into its own sub-branch of East Indonesian Malay creole languages, the Manadoic branch.^{[citation needed]}