West Nusa Tenggara

1.3.2 West Nusa Tenggara

West Nusa Tenggara
(Nusa Tenggara Barat)




Capital
Mataram

Governor
Tuan Guru Bajang
Area
19,708.79 km2 (7,610 sq mi)
Population
4,015,102
Density
203.7 /km2 (528 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups
Sasak (68%), Bima (13%), Sumbawa (8%), Balinese (3%)[1]

Religion
Islam (96%), Hindu (3%), Buddhist (1%) [1]

Languages
Indonesian (official)

Time zone
WITA (UTC+8)

Web site www.ntb.go.id

West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesian: Nusa Tenggara Barat) is a province in south-central Indonesia. It covers the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, except for Bali.
The two largest islands in the province are Lombok in the west and the larger Sumbawa island in the east. Mataram, on Lombok, is the capital and largest city of the province. The province is administratively divided into eight regencies (kabupaten) and two municipalities (kotamadya):
Bima
Dompu
West Lombok
Central Lombok
East Lombok
North Lombok
Sumbawa
West Sumbawa
Bima (municipality)
Mataram (municipality)
Lombok is mainly inhabited by the Sasak ethnic group, with a minority Balinese population, and Sumbawa is inhabited by Sumbawa and Bima ethnic groups. Each of these groups has a local language associated with it as well. The population of the province is 3,821,134; 71 percent of the population lives in Lombok (As of 2000 census).
A 2002 United Nations Development Programme report classified West Nusa Tenggara as the least-developed province in Indonesia.[citation needed]
History
In 1938, the Neo Municipality was formed, a self regulated area (Dutch: Zelf Bestuur Regelen).[citation needed] Based on the Lombok government constitution, East Indonesia Presidents' decision on 9 May 1949 No.5/Prv/49, Lombok did not contain a municipality but was an area conducted by Dutch Government. Formerly known as Sunda Kecil (Small Sunda), the West Nusa Tenggara Province became East Indonesia State in 1951.[citation needed] In 1957, the regional government was established.