Sumbawa,[a] is an Indonesianisland, located in the middle of theLesser Sunda Islands chain, withLombok to the west,Flores to the east, andSumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms theprovince ofWest Nusa Tenggara, but there have been plans (currently held in abeyance) by the Indonesian government to split the island off into a separate province.[2] Traditionally, the island is known as the source ofsappanwood, as well ashoney andsandalwood. Its savanna-like climate and vast grasslands are used to breedhorses and cattle, as well as to huntdeer.
Sumbawa has an area of 15,448 square kilometres or 5,965 square miles[1] (three times the size ofLombok) with a population (at the 2020 Census) of 1,561,461;[3] the official estimate as at mid-2024 was 1,669,787.[4] It marks the boundary between the islands to the west, which were influenced by religion and culture spreading fromIndia, and the region to the east which was less influenced. In particular, this applies to both Hinduism and Islam. While the name "Sumbawa" is used by outsiders for the whole island, locally the term is only applied to the western half (Sumbawa and West Sumbawa Regencies), while the eastern half is referred to by inhabitants as "Bima" (meaning the city as well as Bima and Dompu Regencies), as the two parts of the island are divided by geography, culture and language.[5]
Sumbawa come from Portuguese Cumbava or Cimbava, assimilated from the locally used nameSambawa (still found as such inMakassarese, cf. alsoSemawa in theSumbawa language). This name is probably derived fromSanskritśāmbhawa, meaning 'related toŚambhu (शम्भु 'the Benevolent', a name forShiva)'.[6]
The 14th-centuryNagarakretagama mentioned several principalities identified to be on Sumbawa;Dompu,Bima, Sape, and one on theSang Hyang Api island just off the coast of northeast Sumbawa. Four principalities in western Sumbawa were dependencies of theMajapahit Empire of easternJava. Because of Sumbawa's natural resources, it was regularly invaded by outside forces – from theJavanese,Balinese,and Makassar, to theDutch andJapanese. The Dutch first arrived in 1605 but did not effectively rule Sumbawa until the early 20th century.
For a short period, theBalinese kingdom ofGelgel ruled a part of western Sumbawa. The eastern and central parts of the island were traditionally divided into four sultanates: Sumbawa, Sanggau, Dompo, andBima, which had links to theBugis andMakassar peoples of South Sulawesi.
Historical evidence indicates that people on Sumbawa island were known in the East Indies for their honey,horses,[7]sappanwood, which is used to make red dye,[8] andsandalwood, which is used for incense and medications. The area was thought to be highly productive agriculturally. In the 18th century, the Dutch introducedcoffee plantations on the western slopes ofMount Tambora, a volcano on the north side of Sumbawa, thus creating the Tambora coffee variant.
Tambora'scolossal eruption in 1815 was the most powerful in recorded history, ejecting 180 cubic kilometres (43 cu mi) of ash and debris into the atmosphere. The eruption killed up to 71,000 people and triggered a period ofglobal cooling known as the "Year Without a Summer" in 1816. It also apparently destroyed a culture ofPapuan[9] affinity, known to archaeologists as the "Tambora culture".[10]
Sumbawa is administratively divided into four regencies (kabupaten) and one kota (city). The regencies and cities are listed below with their administrative capitals, their areas, and their populations at the 2010 census[11] and the 2020 census,[3] together with the official estimates as of mid-2024.[4]
Proposals have been under consideration since 2013 by the People's Representative Council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR) to create a separateSumbawa Island province;[13] there is no information as to whether the remaining part of the present province (i.e. the districts comprising Lombok Island) would then be renamed. However, since 2013 the Indonesian Government have maintained a moratorium on the intended creation of new provinces, regencies and cities.
Sumbawa had, historically speaking, three major linguistic groups who spoke languages that were unintelligible to each other. TheSumbawa people centered on the western side of the island speakBasa Semawa (Indonesian:Bahasa Sumbawa) which is similar to theSasak language from nearby Lombok; theBima people in the east speakNggahi Mbojo (Bahasa Bima), which is closer to the languages spoken onFlores andSumba. They were once separated by theTambora culture, which spokea language related to neither. After the demise of Tambora due to the1815 eruption, local kingdoms based inSumbawa Besar andBima became the two focal points of Sumbawa. This division of the island into two parts remains today;Sumbawa Besar andBima are the two largest towns on the island (although the town ofDompu to the west of Bima has a greater urban area population than Sumbawa Besar), and are the centers of distinct cultural groups that share the island. The Don Donggo or "Mountain People" are a small minority ethnic group who occupy the cloudy highlands west of Bima Bay.
The population of the island (including minor outlying islands) was 1.56 million at the latestdecennial census in 2020, comprising 29.46%[3] of the population of the entireProvince of West Nusa Tenggara's 5.32 million people;[14] the official estimate as at mid-2024 was 1,670,000 - of whom 683,000 inhabit the western half and 987,000 the eastern half of the island.[4]
Due to the lack of work opportunities on the island and its frequent droughts,[15] many people on the island seek work in theMiddle East as laborers or domestic servants; some 500,000 workers, or over 10% of the population of West Nusa Tenggara, have left the country to work overseas such as China and Singapore.[16]
The island is bounded by bodies of water; to the west isAlas Strait, south is theIndian Ocean,Saleh Bay creates a major north-central indentation in the island, and theFlores Sea runs the length of the northern coastline. TheSape Strait lies to the east of the island and separates Sumbawa fromFlores and the Komodo Islands, there are several bays and gulfs, most notablyBima Bay,Cempi Bay, andWaworada Bay.
Sumbawa's most distinguishing features are Saleh Bay and the Sanggar Peninsula. On the latter stands Mount Tambora (8°14’41” S, 117°59’35” E), a largestratovolcano famous for itsVEI 7 eruption in 1815, one of only a few eruptions of such magnitude in the last 2,000 years. The eruption obliterated most of Tambora's summit, reducing its height by about a third and leaving a six-kilometer-widecaldera. Regardless, Tambora remains the highest point on the island. Highlands rise in four spots on the island, as well as on Sangeang Island. The large western lobe of Sumbawa is dominated by a large central highland, and Tambora, Dompu, and Bima each have more minor highlands.
There are several large surrounding islands, most notablyMoyo Island, volcanically active Sangeang Island,[17] and the touristKomodo Islands (administered under Flores) to the east.
We want to say that there has been a decline, but a slow decline. There is no seriousness from the government. (About around 20 children died from malnutrition in Sumbawa in October 2012)—Ida, Alliance of Prosperous Villages (ADS)[19]
Batu Hijau mine, 2006
Many of the island residents are at risk of starvation when crops fail due to lack of rainfall.[citation needed] The majority of the population works in agriculture. Tourism is just beginning, with a few surf spots renowned for being world-class, Jelenga and Supersuck Beaches[18] near the mine, as well as Hu'u and Lakey Beach[18] in theGulf of Cempi.
A largegold andcopper mine,Newmont Mining Corporation'sBatu Hijau mine began commercial operations in 2000, a decade after the copper and gold were discovered.[20] Newmont holds a 45% stake in the operation through its shareholding in PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara. A local unit of Japan'sSumitomo Corporation has a 35% share. The mine is located in southwest Sumbawa.
Due to the mine, Sumbawa Barat Regency along with other remote mining towns, and Jakarta, has the highestGDP per capita rates in Indonesia, Sumbawa Barat's is 156.25 million rupiah (US$17,170) as of 2010[update],[21] Newmont and its partners have invested about $1.9 billion in the mine. The reserves are expected to last until 2034, making Batu Hijau one of the largest copper mines in the world. It is also one of the worst water-polluting mines,[22] notably with at least three pipe breaks since its opening in 1999.[23]
Another important deposit of gold and copper has been discovered in 2020 near Onto.[24] PT Sumbawa Timur Mining (STM) hopes to start exploitation in 2030.[25]
There is a road network in Sumbawa, but it is poorly maintained and has long portions of rough gravel. Frequent ferry service to Sumbawa (Poto Tano) from Lombok (Labuhan Lombok) exists; however, the ferry service toFlores fromSape is infrequent.Bima is the largest city on Sumbawa and has ferry and bus services directly toJava andBali, though service breakdowns are common.
The most convenient way to reach Sumbawa is via air. Commercial flights connect the island's main airport, theBima Airport, toDenpasar andMakassar.
^Noorduyn, J. (1987)."Makasar and the islamization of Bima".Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde.143 (2/3):312–342.doi:10.1163/22134379-90003330.JSTOR27863842.Sumbawa is a Portuguese corruption, Cumbava or Cimbava, of the original name Sambawa - possibly deriving from Sham- bhawa (Van Naerssen 1938:92) 'related to Shambhu', i.e. God Shiva
^Jong Boers, B.D. de (2007), 'The 'Arab' of the Indonesian Archipelago: The Famed Horse Breeds of Sumbawa' in: Greg Bankoff and Sandra Swart (eds), Breeds of Empire: The 'invention' of the horse in Southern Africa and Maritime Southeast Asia, 1500–1950. Copenhagen: NIAS Press, pp 51–64.
^Jong Boers, B.D. de (1997), "Sustainability and time perspective in natural resource management: The exploitation of sappan trees in the forests of Sumbawa, Indonesia (1500–1875)" in: Peter Boomgaard, Freek Colombijn en David Henley (eds),Paper landscapes; Explorations in the environmental history of Indonesia. Leiden: KITLV Press, pp. 260–281.
