Lombok

Lombok is a large, roughly circular island located in Indonesia.

It is part of the West Nusa Tenggara province. The island is positioned within the Lesser Sunda Islands chain. To its west, the Lombok Strait separates it from the island of Bali. To its east, the Alas Strait sits between Lombok and the island of Sumbawa. The island features a small "tail" known as the Sekotong Peninsula in the southwest. Many smaller islands, locally called Gili, surround the main island.

The island occupies a unique place in nature. It sits near the Wallace Line. This is a biogeographical boundary named after Alfred Russel Wallace. This line marks the division between two different animal regions. To the west lies the Indomalayan realm. To the east lies the Australasia region. Because of this, the fauna on either side of the line is distinctly different. Lombok is part of the Lesser Sundas deciduous forests ecoregion.

Lombok's landscape is dominated by a massive stratovolcano. This is Mount Rinjani, which sits in the center of the island. It is the second-highest volcano in Indonesia.

Inside the volcano's caldera is a lake called Segara Anak. This name means "child of the sea." A smaller cone called Gunung Barujari sits within this lake.

In 2010, Gunung Barujari erupted. This event sent ash into the atmosphere. The lava flowed into the caldera lake and raised its temperature. The ash fall also damaged crops on the slopes of Mount Rinjani. The Gunung Rinjani National Park was established in 1997 to protect this area.

The history of Lombok involves many different groups. In the 14th century, a manuscript called the Nagarakretagama mentioned "Lombok Mirah." This suggests the island was under Majapahit suzerainty. Before the 17th century, the island consisted of many small, competing states. Each state was led by a Sasak prince. The Balinese took control of western Lombok in the early 1700s. Meanwhile, the Makassarese invaded the eastern part of the island.

In 1894, the Dutch intervened during a conflict between the Sasak and the Balinese. After a period of fighting, the Dutch annexed the entire island in 1895.

During World War II, Japanese forces occupied the island in 1942.

Today, Lombok is home to a large and growing population. The 2010 census recorded 3,168,692 people. By 2020, this number rose to 3,758,631. The official estimate for mid-2024 is 4,056,621 people.

Mataram is the largest city and the provincial capital. The island is divided into four regencies, or kabupaten, and one city. These are West Lombok, Central Lombok, East Lombok, North Lombok, and Mataram City. The fertile soil allows for many types of farming. Farmers grow rice, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, and cotton. They also produce cinnamon, cacao, cloves, cassava, corn, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla.

Life on the island can be affected by natural challenges. In July 2018, a series of earthquakes hit the island. A major earthquake occurred on August 5, 2018, with a magnitude of 7.0. This event caused catastrophic damage in North Lombok. In total, these earthquakes killed over 550 people and injured more than 7,000 others.

Another earthquake on August 19, 2018, killed 13 people and damaged 1,800 buildings. Additionally, the island faces a water crisis. The southern and central areas are most affected. This is caused by increasing human population demands and damage to the water table and forests.

Lombok remains a place of significant cultural and economic activity. The Sasak people have a long history on the island. Their name, Lomboq, means "straight" or "honest."

While tourism began to grow in the 1980s, it faced many ups and downs. Economic crises in the late 1990s and riots in Mataram in 2000 impacted the industry. However, tourism has seen renewed growth in recent years. The island's geography and history continue to shape its identity within Indonesia.