West Timor

Introduction

West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor (one of the Lesser Sunda Islands) and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara. During the colonial period it was known as Dutch Timor and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949). From 1949 to 1975 it was known as Indonesian Timor.

Geography

West Timor is a political region that comprises the western half of Timor island (with the exception of Oecusse enclave, which is part of Timor-Leste) and belongs to the Indonesian province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, (NTT or East Nusa Tenggara). The land area of West Timor is 15,850 square kilometres, its population was 1.66 million in 2010. The highest point of West Timor is Mount Mutis at 2,427 metres. Rote Island, the southernmost island of Indonesia, is southwest of West Timor. Since 2012 West Timor is administratively divided in five regencies (kabupaten): Kupang, South Central Timor (Timor Tengah Selatan, TTS), North Central Timor (Timor Tengah Utara, TTU), Belu and Malaka.

Cities

• Kupang, the main harbour town of West Timor, also capital of East Nusa Tenggara province and of Kupang regency.

Towns

• Soe, capital of South Central Timor regency.
• Kefamenanu, capital of North Central Timor regency.
• Atambua, capital of Belu regency.
• Betun, capital of Malaka regency.

Getting There

By Plane

Kupang's El Tari Airport (IATA: KOE) has services to Surabaya, Denpasar, Jakarta, Maumere, Ende and many other remote regions in East Nusa Tenggara.

Getting Around

By Bus

Timor Tour & Travel operates a daily minibus service from Kupang to Dili, via Soe, Kefamenanu and Atambua. One can of course travel part of the way. Check for schedule and price at their Kupang office, Jalan Timor Raya #77, or their Atambua office, Jalan Soekarno-Hatta #43. At the border one has to pass customs walking; another minibus waits on the other side for the remainder of the voyage.

External Links