West Nusa Tenggara

West Nusa Tenggara is a province of Indonesia. It comprises the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the exception of Bali which is its own province. Mataram, on Lombok, is the capital and largest city of the province. The 2010 census recorded the population at 4,496,855; the latest estimate (for January 2014) is 4,702,389. The province's area is 19,708.79 km2. The two largest islands in the province are Lombok in the west and the larger Sumbawa island in the east. The islands of Flores and Sumba are part of East Nusa Tenggara.

History

Formerly known as Sunda Kecil (Lesser Sunda), the West Nusa Tenggara Province was formed from part of the former State of East Indonesia in 1951. In 1957, the regional government was established.

Population

Historical population Year Pop. ±% 1971 2,203,465 — 1980 2,724,664 +23.7% 1990 3,369,649 +23.7% 1995 3,645,713 +8.2% 2000 4,009,261 +10.0% 2010 4,500,212 +12.2% Source: Statistics Indonesia 2010

Lombok is mainly inhabited by the Sasak ethnic group, with a minority Balinese population, and Sumbawa is inhabited by Sumbawa and Bima ethnic groups. Each of these groups has a local language associated with it as well. The population of the province was 4,496,855 (at the 2010 census); 70.4% of the population lives on Lombok (at the 2010 census), which has only 22.9% of the area. The latest estimate (for January 2014) is 4,702,389. The province is considered to be one of the least developed of Indonesia's 33 provinces. In 2005, Nusa Tenggara Barat was reported as the most affected area for malnutrition and kwashiorkor. Life expectancy in Nusa Tenggara Barat amounting to only 54 years is the lowest in Indonesia (69 years) and infant mortality rate is the highest.