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Sumbawa is one of the 13,000 plus
islands in the Indonesian archipelago. This site
focuses on life in Sumbawa: its culture, history,
language, politics, and tourism.
Sumbawa is a large island to the east
of Bali and Lombok. It is part of West Nusa Tenggara
along with Lombok. There are hundreds of small
islands in this area in addition to the two major
islands. Sumbawa really belongs more to Eastern
Indonesia than to to the western part of the
archipelago. The effects of Hindu and Buddhist
cultures are minimal in Sumbawa (although there is a
Balinese presence along the northern coastal area),
and although the island is predominantly Muslim, the
role of adat is still very strong.
The slogan of the Sumbawa Regency is:
"B E S A R" which stands for BERSIH, ELOK, SEHAT,
AMAN, DAN RAPI. The regional government's official
website notes that Sumbawa still lacks sufficient
medical facilities to support public health, in
particular a lack of doctors and other health
professionals. A public health center was recently
opened in Sekongkang, but adequate treatment for a
serious illness or accident requires a trip to
Sumbawa Besar or Mataram, both of which require a
journey of at least four hours minimum.
Sumbawa is divided into four
regencies and one municipality. The regencies are:
Sumbawa Barat, Sumbawa Besar, Dompu, and Bima. The
municipality is Kodya Bima. The most recent census
lists the population as being 1.1 million. There are
two main ethnic groups: Bima and the Samawa.
The regional government has a six
year plan (ending this year) for improving the lives
of the island's residents. This plan includes:
Health (improving health service quality including
equipment and facilities), Education, Social Welfare
(including reaching gender equality), Agriculture (
optimizing resources for improving agricultural
products), Industry, Trade and Cooperation
(developing an economic system that focuses on the
fair market mechanism), Regional Finance and Capital
Investment, Manpower and Demography, Public Works
and Communication (improving transport and the use
of water resources), Agrarian Matter and Landscape,
Living Environment and Natural Resource
(rehabilitating and conserving natural resources),
Tourism, Art and Culture (developing tourism based
on natural and cultural tours, as well as teaching
traditional art and culture), Religious Life
Teaching (improving religious life through teaching
and providing praying facilities and by making the
role of religious institutions and social
organizations to be teaching about living in harmony
with other religious people), Law and Society's
Orderliness (creating safe conditions based on the
supremacy of the law and human rights); Politic and
the Efficiency of Apparatus (improving the quality
of public service through responsibility and the
quality of government institutions); Science and
Technology (the application of right and useful
technology).
In many respects Sumbawa can be
considered remote. To get to Sumbawa from Bali most
people take the ferry from Bali to Lombok, travel
overland to the eastern seaport in Lombok and then
take another ferry to Sumbawa, ending up in Poto
Tano. From there transportation is somewhat
problematic. There are buses that will take you on
to Sumbawa Besar, the capital, or down the coast
road to the south, but my experience has been that
trying to get on a bus once you arrive in Sumbawa is
somewhat difficult (see the Transportation page for
more details). If traveling from Lombok, it is best
to board a bus there that will take you to your
final destination in Sumbawa. It is also possible to
fly into the city of Sumbawa Besar on the western
side of the island, and Bima on the eastern side of
the island. A small airline called Tropical Air
existed for a short while which flew directly to
Sekongkan where I am located and where the surfing
spots of Yoyo and Scar Reef are located.. We still
have the airport, but flights have been stopped for
an indefinite period.
Sumbawa is known for its great waves
and sandy white beaches. Due to the somewhat trying
process of getting there and the scarcity of cheap
tourist facilities, the island is not visited much
by non-surfing tourists which is unfortunate as the
parts of the island that I have seen are quite
beautiful. During the dry season (April to November)
a lot of dust is blown up and around. Strong winds
blow in off the ocean, and the lush green hills,
mountains and valleys turn a dusty brown. When the
rainy season begins an amazing transformation takes
place and the island becomes a lush jungle once
again.
The pace of life on Sumbawa is
definitely slower than that in Bali. As most of the
island is still developing, there is a very rural
feel to just about everywhere that you go, including
Sumbawa Besar, the capital of the western side fo
the island. The mining company, Newmont, has a gold
and copper mine down in the southwestern corner of
the island around the villages of Sekongkang, Maluk
and Benete. Their presence has speeded up the
development process on this side of the island.
Sumbawa is one of the larger islands
in the archipelago, and we only live in the
southwestern corner. I've been to Sumbawa Besar
several times, but only for short periods. Taliwang,
about an hour north of us, is a fairly small place,
but large compared to Sekongkang and Maluk. The
largest city on the island is Sumbawa Besar, but
that is a five hour drive from here. The best
shopping is actually on Lombok which is the next
island to the west.
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