Lombok Island

Lombok Island is an island in the Lesser Sunda islands or Nusa Tenggara are separated by the Lombok Strait from Bali in Sebelat the west and the Alas Strait to the east of Sumbawa. The island is roughly spherical with a kind of "tail" on the southwest side whose length is approximately 70 km. The island reaches 5,435 km ², placing it at rank 108 on the list based on the breadth of the island in the world. The main town on the island is Mataram City.

geography

Lombok Strait marks the boundary of the flora and fauna of Asia. Starting from the island of Lombok to the east, flora and fauna more shows similarities with the flora and fauna found in Australia than Asia [2]. The scientist who first stated this is Alfred Russel Wallace, an Englishman in the 19th century. To honor this limit is called the Wallace Line.

The topography of the island is dominated by Rinjani volcano which height reaches 3,726 meters above sea level and making it the third-highest in Indonesia. The mountain last erupted in June-July 1994. In 1997 the mountain region and adjoining lake Segara Anak declared protected by the government. The area south of the island consists mostly of fertile land used for agriculture, commodities are usually grown in this area include maize, rice, coffee, tobacco and cotton.

demography

Approximately 80% of the population of this island is the Sasak tribe, a tribe that is still close to the Bali tribe, but most converted to Islam. The rest of the population is Balinese, Javanese, Chinese and Arabic.

language

Besides Indonesian as the national language, the population of the island of Lombok (mainly Sasak), Sasak language as the primary language in everyday conversation. Across the Sasak language of Lombok itself can be found in four different dialects namely Lombok dialect of northern, central, northeast and southeast. In addition to the number of inhabitants who settled in Bali Lombok (mostly from the former kingdom of Karangasem), in some places, particularly in West Lombok and Mataram municipality of the township can be found using the language of Bali as the language of everyday conversation.

religion

Most of the islanders, especially Lombok Sasak tribe embraced Islam. The second largest religion practiced in this island is the Hindu religion, which is embraced by the population of descendants of Bali which amounted to about 15% of the entire population. Christian, Buddhist and other religions can also be found, and especially embraced by the immigrants from various tribes and ethnicities who live on this island. The largest religious organization in Lombok is Nahdlatul Wathan (NW), this organization also established many Islamic educational institutions with different levels of the lowest level to higher education.

In North Lombok regency, precisely in the area of ​​Bayan, especially among the elderly, it can still be found the adherents of Islam flow Wetu Telu (three times). Unlike most adherents of Islam who pray five times a day, the followers of this doctrine practice the obligatory prayers only at three time. It is said that this happens because the propagator of Islam when Islam was taught in stages and for some reason did not get to complete his message.

In Cakranegara (formerly royal Cakranegara) Mataram City now, once discovered by the Ancient Papyrus Scrolls Expedition Dutch (KNIL) then retrieved and brought to the Netherlands, papyrus manuscript is actually located in the Kingdom Selaparang (now around the area Pringgabaya, East Lombok), but in when the battle between Bali and Lombok, the kingdom was lost due Selaparang suddenly attacked, and eventually all the property belonging to the royal Selaparang seized by troops of Bali, the remains were not brought then burned. Including the gold crown of King Selaparang (Devel Selaparang) and State papyrus manuscript Kertagama being dipelajarai by the Son and the royal officers Selaparang. This page was added by Zulkarnain Then, work on the Regional Secretariat of Mataram.

history

According to the Babad Lombok content, the oldest royal ever ruled the island kingdom named LAeq (LAeq Sasak language means past tense), but other sources that Suwung Chronicle, stating that the oldest kingdom in Lombok is built and Suwung kingdom led by King Betara Sense. Suwung kingdom then subsided and was replaced by the Kingdom of Lombok. In the 9th century until the 11th century stood Kingdom Sasak later defeated by one kingdom from Bali at that time. Some of the other kingdoms that once stood on the island of Lombok, among others Pejanggik, Langko, Bayan, chock Samarkaton and Selaparang.

Selaparang kingdom itself appears on two periods in the 13th century and 16th century. Selaparang kingdom first is a Hindu kingdom and his rule ends with the arrival of the expedition of Majapahit kingdom in the year 1357. Kingdom Selaparang The second is Islamic empire and rule ended in 1744 after defeated by the combined forces of the Balinese kingdom of Karangasem and Arya Banjar Brittle which is treason against the royal family Selaparang because of problems with the king Selaparang. [3]. This led to the occupation of Bali Balinese culture a strong influence on the western side of Lombok, as in dance and heritage buildings (eg Cakranegara Palace in Ampenan). New in 1894 Lombok Karangasem free from the influence of interference due to Batavia (Dutch East Indies) who entered as rebellion Sasak people invited them to come. Nevertheless, Lombok came under direct Dutch rule.

The entry of Japan (1942) makes automatic Lombok was under Japanese occupation government control the eastern region. After World War II, Lombok could be under State of East Indonesia, before then in 1950 joined with the Republic of Indonesia.

tourism

Lombok in many ways similar to Bali, and in the decade of the 1990s began to be known foreign tourists. However, with the advent of the financial crisis that hit Indonesia in late 1997 and other crises that accompany it, the potential for tourism rather are abandoned. Then in early 2000 inter-ethnic unrest and inter-religions throughout Lombok, causing a mass exodus of minorities. They mainly fled to the island of Bali. But after some time later the situation has become conducive and they're back. In 2007, the tourism sector is the only sector that is growing in Lombok.

Destinations tourist attraction

nature tourism

Senggigi Beach
     Cakranegara
     Gili Air
     Gili Meno
     [[Gili Trawangan]]
     Mount Rinjani
     Kuta Beach, Lombok
     Sembalun
     Tetebatu
     Spring Gile Waterfall
     Gili Nangu
     Gili Sundak
     Gili Tangkong
     Monkey Forest Pusuk
     sentanu

Posted by : Edy santoso