Sumbawa
Island of sappanwood, horses, and Tambora's legacy
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It has an area of 15,448 km² and a mid-2024 estimated population of 1,669,787.[1] The island separates the western islands, which experienced religious and cultural diffusion from India, from the less-influenced eastern region.[1]
Geography and history
Historical evidence indicates people on Sumbawa were known for honey, horses, sappanwood, and sandalwood.[2] Many residents risk starvation when crops fail due to lack of rainfall.[3] Due to frequent droughts and lack of work, many people seek work in the Middle East as laborers or domestic servants.[4] Four regencies and one city make up the administrative divisions of Sumbawa.[5]
The Portuguese term Cumbava or Cimbava, adapted from the local name Sambawa, is the origin of "Sumbawa".[6] Sanskrit śāmbhawa, meaning 'related to Śambhu' (a name for Shiva), is the likely root of that name.[6] The 1815 eruption of Tambora released 180 km³ of ash and debris into the sky.[7] A culture with Papuan affinities, referred to by archaeologists as the "Tambora culture", was apparently destroyed by the eruption.[7]
Agriculture employs most of the island's residents.[3]
What the cited sources add
A 2011 Jakarta Post article reports that four regents and a mayor supported establishing a new Sumbawa Island province to accelerate equal development.[8] The chairman of the committee, Siti Maryam, said the idea first came about 11 years ago in conjunction with the 1999 law on regional administration.[8] The declaration was jointly signed by the regents of Sumbawa, West Sumbawa, Dompu, and Bima and the Bima mayor.[8] The article quotes Sulaiman Hamzah saying development in West Nusa Tenggara has been focused on Lombok Island despite abundant resources on Sumbawa.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Sumbawa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sumbawa"; Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.; Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Barat Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.52) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumbawa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: 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 Emp; Jong Boers, B.D. de (1997), "Sustainability and time perspective in natural resource management: The exploitation of sappan trees in the forests of Sumbawa, Ind (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumbawa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: West Nusa Tenggara Map, Provincial Tourism and Cultural Office, West Nusa Tenggara, 2008; West Nusa Tenggara Map, Provincial Tourism and Cultural Office, West Nusa Tenggara, 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumbawa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Local Government Asks People to Be Careful of Drought Hazard Threats", Gaung NTB, March 30, 2010; Frode F. Jacobsen, "Hadrami Arabs in Present-day Indonesia: An Indonesia-oriented Group with an Arab Signature", Routledge, 2009, p. 30 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumbawa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.; Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.; Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Barat Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.52) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumbawa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Noorduyn, "Makasar and the islamization of Bima", Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 1987, p. 312–342 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sumbawa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Donohue, "The Papuan Language of Tambora", Oceanic Linguistics, 2008-01-03, p. 520–537; Roach, ""Lost Kingdom" Discovered on Volcanic Island in Indonesia", National Geographic News, February 27, 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Nugraha, "Officials support new province for Sumbawa", The Jakarta Post, March 1, 2011. facts only, no text reused. thejakartapost.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sumbawa (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sumbawa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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