East Nusa Tenggara
The province consists of about 566 islands, the largest and most dominant are Flores, Sumba, and the western half of Timor. The eastern part of Timor is the independent country of East Timor. Other islands include Adonara, Alor, Komodo, Lembata (formerly called Lomblen), Menipo, Raijua, Rincah, Rote Island (the southernmost island in Indonesia), Savu, Semau, and Solor. The highest point in the province is Mount Mutis in the Timor Tengah Selatan district, 2,427 meters above sea level.East Nusa Tenggara is the only province in Indonesia where Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion.
| Nusa Tenggara Timur, in Southeastern Islands. | Indonesian, means Eastern - |
In 1950, United States of Indonesia dissolved itself into a unitary state and began to divide its component area into provinces. In 1958, by Indonesian law No. 64/1958, three provinces were established in the Lesser Sunda Islands, namely Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara. The area of East Nusa Tenggara province included the western part of Timor island, Flores, Sumba and other several small islands in the region. The province was sub-divided into twelve regencies and the City of Kupang, which had regency-level status.
Therefore, as of early 2013, there were twenty-one regencies plus the one autonomous city in the province.
Further details of each regency are provided by the NTT provincial government in a useful set of maps.
The population of the province was estimated to be 4,683,800 in 2010 The religious mix is atypical of Indonesia with around 90% Christian, 8% Muslim, 0.6% Hindu or Buddhist, and 0.4% holding traditional beliefs. East Nusa Tenggara has become a refuge for Indonesian Christians fleeing from conflict in Maluku and Irian Jaya.
The secondary school enrolment rate of 39% is dramatically below the Indonesian average. Lack of clean drinking water, sanitation, and health facilities mean that child malnutrition (32%) and child mortality (71 per 1000) are higher than in most of the rest of Indonesia. Maternal and infant mortality are high partly because of poor access to health facilities in isolated rural areas. Malaria is a significant problem in parts of the province with the result that the rate of infant mortality caused by malaria, in recent years, as been the highest across Indonesia.
By several economic indicators, the provincial economy is weaker than the Indonesian average with high inflation, unemployment (30%) and interest rates (22-24%), making it one of the poorest province in Indonesia.
A main part of the economic activity in the province is subsistence agriculture. Important local crops include corn and some smallholder plantation crops such as coffee. In some places such as Sumba, the lontar palm dominates local agricultural activities and is a very important part of the local economy. In these areas, the lontar palm provides timber and thatching as well as food in the form of fruits, and palm sugar which is obtained by tapping the fruit stems. The sugary sap can be used to make alcoholic drinks. In other parts of the province such as West Manggarai, the sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) has a useful role in the local economy. The degree of mechanisation in agriculture is low. Large animals (buffaloes, horses) are widely used throughout the province.
A significant part of the economic activity in the province involves the development of natural resources, including forestry and numerous local mining ventures. Some of the activity is controversial, however, because regulatory controls over the use of natural resources aren't always effective. There have been disputes in some areas over the use of land. Manganese mining, for example, in the central part of the island of Timor has been controversial. Nearby, in the Mount Mutis area to the east of Kupang, amongst some local groups there is concern at the way local resources are being developed by mining companies.
There is also significant activity in the informal mining sector. Across the province, villagers will sometimes exploit localised opportunities to undertake unregulated mining or mineral-based projects. In West Timor, for example, in the South Central Timor Regency, villagers living near the south coast in the Kolbano area south of the town of Soe sometimes collect coloured stones which, in turn, are sold to companies which export the stones to countries such as Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and elsewhere.
Various local community groups in different parts of the province work to promote the local tourist industry although, as yet, many of these activities are still somewhat underdeveloped and need strengthening.
Malaria is a significant problem in some parts of the province. Tourists should take appropriate cautionary measures.
Related Sites for East Nusa Tenggara
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