West Nusa Tenggara is a province

Provinces of Indonesia

The province is the highest tier of local government subnational entity in Indonesia. Each province has its own local government, headed by a governor, and has its own legislative body...

 in south-central Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. The province encompasses the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands

Lesser Sunda Islands

The Lesser Sunda Islands or Nusa Tenggara are a group of islands in the southern Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up the Sunda Islands...

, except for Bali

Bali

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...

 as the Wallace line

Wallace Line

The Wallace Line separates the ecozones of Asia and Wallacea, a transitional zone between Asia and Australia. West of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species of Asian and Australian origin is present...

 running the length of the Lombok Strait

Lombok Strait

The Lombok Strait is a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side....

 forms the western boundary of the province.

The two largest islands in the province are Lombok

Lombok

Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east...

 in the west and the larger Sumbawa

Sumbawa

Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. It is in the province of West Nusa Tenggara....

 island in the east. Mataram

Mataram (city)

Mataram is the capital of the Province of West Nusa Tenggara . The city is situated within Lombok Barat Regency and lies on the western side of the island of Lombok, Indonesia...

, on Lombok, is the capital and largest city of the province. The province is administratively divided into eight regencies (kabupaten) and two municipalities (kotamadya):

• on Lombok:
  • West Lombok
    West Lombok Regency
    West Lombok Regency is a division of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok and the capital is Gerung.- Location :...
    
     (Lombok Barat)
  • Central Lombok
    Central Lombok Regency
    Central Lombok Regency is a division of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok and the capital is Praya....
    
     (Lombok Tengah)
  • East Lombok
    East Lombok Regency
    East Lombok Regency is a division of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok and the capital is Selong.- Location :To the north lies the Java Sea. To the west is Central Lombok Regency...
    
     (Lombok Timur)
  • North Lombok
    North Lombok Regency
    North Lombok Regency is a Kabupaten of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok and the capital is Tanjung situated on the north west coast of the island....
    
     (Lombok Utara)
  • Mataram
    Mataram (city)
    Mataram is the capital of the Province of West Nusa Tenggara . The city is situated within Lombok Barat Regency and lies on the western side of the island of Lombok, Indonesia...
    
     (municipality)
• on Sumbawa:
  • Bima
    Bima Regency
    Bima Regency is a division of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Sumbawa and the capital is Woha, and it completely surrounds Bima City ....
    
    
  • Dompu
    Dompu Regency
    Dompu Regency is a division of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Sumbawa and the capital is Dompu. It is bordered to the north and to the east by two non-contiguous parts of Bima Regency, as well as by Saleh Bay, Sanggar Bay, and Cempi Bay....
    
    
  • Sumbawa
    Sumbawa Regency
    Sumbawa Regency is a Kabupaten of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Sumbawa and the capital is Sumbawa Besar.- References :...
    
    
  • West Sumbawa
    West Sumbawa Regency
    West Sumbawa Regency is a Kabupaten of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Sumbawa and the capital is Taliwang.- References :...
    
     (Sumbawa Barat)
  • Bima
    Bima
    Bima is a city on the eastern coast of the island Sumbawa in central Indonesia's province West Nusa Tenggara, and the largest city on the island. In 2010 the municipality counted some 142,443 people, separate from the adjoining Regency of Bima with 407,636 population...
    
     (municipality)

Lombok is mainly inhabited by the Sasak

Sasak

The Sasak live mainly on the island of Lombok, Indonesia, numbering around 2.6 million . They are related to the Balinese in language and race, although the Sasak are predominantly Muslim while the Balinese are Hindu....

 ethnic group, with a minority Balinese

Balinese people

The Balinese population of 3.0 million live mostly on the island of Bali, making up 89% of the island's population. There are also significant populations on the island of Lombok, and in the eastern-most regions of Java The Balinese population of 3.0 million (1.5% of Indonesia's population) live...

 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 is 4,496,855 ( census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

); 71% of the population lives in Lombok

Lombok

Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east...

 ( census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

).

A 2002 United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Development Programme

The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...

report classified West Nusa Tenggara as the least-developed province in Indonesia.

History

In 1938, the Neo Municipality was formed, a self regulated area (Dutch: Zelf Bestuur Regelen). Based on the Lombok government constitution, East Indonesia Presidents' decision on 9 May 1949 No.5/Prv/49, Lombok did not contain a municipality but was an area conducted by Dutch Government. Formerly known as Sunda Kecil (Small Sunda), the West Nusa Tenggara Province became East Indonesia State in 1951. In 1957, the regional government was established.