Lombok - the sister island
admin January 11th, 2010
Lombok, the sister island to Bali, is located in the West Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. It is part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait and the Wallace line separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is roughly circular, with a “tail” to the southwest, about 70 km across and a total area of about 4,725 km² . The administrative capital and largest city on the island and also where the airport is called Mataram.
History - The Dutch first visited Lombok in 1674 and settled the eastern most part of the island, leaving the western half to be ruled by a Hindu dynasty from Bali. The Sasaks struggled under Balinese rule, and a revolt in 1891 ended in 1894 with the annexation of the entire island to the Netherlands East Indies.
The Lombok Strait marks the passage of the biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia that is known as the Wallace Line, for Alfred Russel Wallace, who first remarked upon the distinction between these two major differences.
Proximity to Bali is Lombok’s blessing, and its curse. While only 25 miles separate the two islands, they are in fact worlds apart. “Indeed, overzealous tourism officials notwithstanding, Lombok is not “an unspoiled Bali,” or “Bali’s sister island.” Lombok is not Bali at all, and that is precisely its charm.”[1] Lombok has retained a more natural, uncrowded and undeveloped environment, which attract travelers who come to enjoy its relaxed pace and the opportunity to explore the island’s unspoiled, spectacular natural beauty.
The most-developed center of tourism is Senggigi, spread in a 30-kilometer strip along the coastal road north of Mataram, while backpackers congregate in the Gili Islands off the west coast. Other popular tourist destinations include Kuta[2] (distinctly different from Kuta, Bali) where surfing is considered some of the best in the world by leading surfing magazines. The Kuta area is also famous for its beautiful, untouched beaches.
Geography - The island’s topography is dominated by the centrally-located volcano Mount Rinjani, which rises to 3,726 m, making it the third-highest in Indonesia. The most recent eruption of Mt Rinjani was in June-July, 1994. The volcano, and its sacred crater lake, ‘Segara Anak’ (child of the sea), are protected by a National Park established in 1997.
Visit Lombok & Sumbawa 2012
Ever since the first launch of Visit Indonesian Year program in 1992 (VIY 1992), The Indonesian Culture and Tourism Department continuously sustain similar program every year to attract foreign tourists and encourage to come to many different beautiful regions of Indonesia. Many tourist destinations conduct series of events to expose their tourist attractions every year with improving preparations from time to time.
The Launch of Visit Lombok – Sumbawa 2012
West Nusa Tenggara Province as one of Indonesian provinces that has various tourist potentials and indigenous natural resources is prepared and focused as the core program in 2012. Officially the plan of this program is launched on Saturday, 5 July 2009 in a ceremonial event held at Senggigi, Lombok. This event is attended by the President of Republic of Indonesia, His Honorable, Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The launch of Visit Lombok-Sumbawa Year 2012 program has also become an event for West Nusa Tenggara province to initiate and perform their preparation in welcoming the special year that is especially programmed for them.
The Minister of Indonesian Culture and Tourism Department, His Excellency Ir. Jero Wacik, SE said, “The branding of Indonesian Tourism is: Kenali Negerimu, Cintai Negerimu (Know Your Country, Love Your Country). It means and also describes the Indonesian natural richness in the frame of tourism industry that covers natural tourism, heritage tourism, cultural tourism, shopping tourism, culinary tourism, and marine tourism. Lombok and Sumbawa island have some potentials i.e. natural tourism resources, pearl breed, and traditional woven. These made very much worthwhile for Lombok and Sumbawa island to be promoted.
In this event, some promotional activities were also launched such as Website and VT. Apart from that, a special session to show the pearl and traditional woven were also displayed as two primary commodities of West Nusa Tenggara Province.