Lombok Island

The Island of Lombok, Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sundas Islands separated from Bali by the Lombok Strait and from Sumbawa by the Alas Strait. It is 70 mi (115 km) long and 50 mi (80 km) wide and occupies an area of 2,098 sq mi (5,435 sq km). It is divided by two mountain chains; its northern range includes Mount Rinjani (12,224 ft [3,726 m]), Indonesia's tallest mountain. It was ruled by the sultan of Makasar in 1640. The Balinese later seized control and established four kingdoms there; the Dutch ruled the kingdom of Mataram from 1843 and gained control of the entire island by the late 19th century. Following World War II, it became part of Indonesia.


The island, which has an area of 2,098 square miles (5,435 square km), is divided for nearly its entire length by two mountain chains. The southern chain, a range of limestone hills, reaches an elevation of 2,350 feet (716 metres), but the northern chain rises to Mount Rinjani (12,224 feet [3,726 metres]). None of the small rivers is navigable. Cliffs often rise precipitously from the sea, but there are good anchorages in bays on the western and eastern coasts.

Lombok Strait, which has depths exceeding 3,600 feet (1,100 metres), has been called the edge of the Asian continental shelf, a contention supported by the marked differences between the plant and animal life of Bali and Lombok. Some intermingling of species has taken place, and Lombok has become the beginning of a transitional area in which Asian forms of life are being supplanted gradually by Australian forms. Vegetation includes a great palm, and typical mammals are monkeys, deer, and wild pigs. The island's diverse birdlife includes large green pigeons, eight kinds of kingfishers, ground thrushes, grass-green doves, little crimson and black flower-peckers, large black cuckoos, king crows, golden orioles, and fine jungle cocks.

The population of Lombok is composed largely of Sasaks of Malay origin, although there are Chinese in the urban area around Mataram, some Balinese in the west, and some Sumbawanese in the east. The Sasak are Muslim, though there is a strong animist element to their religion. Agriculture is by far the dominant occupation, with paddy rice, soybeans, tubers, peanuts (groundnuts), tobacco, coconuts, and vegetables the chief crops. The central lowland strip of the island, between the two elevated coastal areas, is the centre of settlement and rice cultivation. Mataram, the provincial capital, is the largest city. The chief port is Lembar, on the western coast.
As early as 1640 Lombok was under the sultan of Makasar (Macassar). Eventually, the Balinese seized control and established four kingdoms on the island; one of them, Mataram, entered into a contract with the Dutch that lasted from 1843 to 1872, when Mataram's oppression of the Sasaks and interference in politics on Bali caused the Dutch to step in and, in 1894, eliminate Balinese rule in Lombok and impose direct rule themselves.

Lombok lies 8 degrees south of the equator and stretches some 80km east to west and about the same distance north to south. It is dominated by the second highest mountain in Indonesia, GUNUNG RINJANI, which soars to 3726m. It has a large caldera with a crater lake, Segara Anak, 600m below the rim, and a new volcanic cone which has formed in the center. Rinjani last erupted in 1994, and evidence of this can be seen in the fresh lava and yellow sulphur around the inner cone.
Central Lombok, to the south of Rinjani is similar to Bali, with rich alluvial plains and fields irrigated by water flowing from the mountains. In the far south and east it is drier, with scrubby, barren hills. This area gets little rain and often has droughts which can last for months. In recent years, several dams have been built, so the abundant rain-fall of the wet season can be retained for irrigation throughout the year.
In Lombok's dry season - from June to September - the heat can be scorching. At night, particularly at higher elevations, the temperature can drop so much a sweater and light jacket are necessary. The wet season extends from October and January the wettest months.