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GENERAL
INFORMATION
The Province of West Nusa Tenggara, also
known as part of the Lesser Sunda Islands, comprise Bali and
eastward through Timor. The two major islands in this province
are Lombok and Sumbawa. Lombok is where the transition from
the western to the eastern Indonesian fauna and flora begins.
The northern part of the island is mountainous and verdant
with tall trees and shrubs covering the land.
The south is arid and covered by savannas. Large Asian mammals
are absent. The shift gets more pronounced as one moves further
east. Dry seasons are more prolonged, so in many areas corn
and sago instead of rice is the staple food. Lombok island
has white virgin beaches, an age-old culture, separated by
merely a narrow strait from Bali, it is only now being discovered
as a tourist destination of exceptional charm. Here the motto
is "you can see Bali in Lombok, but not Lombok in Bali".
It is an existing reality, formed by the superimposition of
strong Balinese influences in the past, upon a base that is
entirely Lombok's own. At around the time Islam first came
to these islands in the 16th century, four Hindu Kingdoms
coexisted in apparent peace in what is now West Nusa Tenggara.
At present, Hinduism is the religion embraced mostly by the
Balinese population of western Lombok. The indigenous people
of Lombok, the Sasaks, are predominantly Moslem. Even more
so are the people of neighboring Sumbawa. At present, West
Nusa Tenggara's cultural make-up is a composite of the four
main population groups inhabiting the two islands: the Balinese,
the Sumbawanese, and the peoples of Bima and Dompu. The region
is famous for its "ikat" hand-woven textiles. Cattle
and horses are the major export commodities of these islands.
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