Lombok, Indonesia

Part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Lombok is separated to west from Bali by Lombok Strait. The island is circular in shape with a “tail” at its southwest end and has a population of roughly 3 million inhabitants. The Dutch first visited the island in the late 1600s but settled mostly the eastern half, leaving the western half to be ruled by the dynastic Hindus from Bali. The Sasaks (native to Bali but with Islamic beliefs) chafed under Balinese rule. Cultural and religious tensions simmered until a revolt which occurred between 1891 and 1894 leading to the annexation of the entire island to the Netherland East Indies. Mount Rinjani is the islands most dramatic geological landmark, rising 12,224 feet (3,726m) making it the third highest in Indonesia. An active volcano, it last erupted in 1994. Its crater lake is considered sacred and the entire area was designated a National Park in 1997. Lombok, like Bali, is very tourist friendly and has many of the same attractions – delicious food, expert handicrafts, beautiful beaches and some of the best surfing in the entire world. It advertises itself as the “unspoiled Bali” in an attempt to draw more tourism to its rather sluggish economy. That said, the area is agriculturally fertile and food is plentiful and cheap. Due to its location, there is sufficient rain and several different climate zones. Tourism is recognized as Lombok’s highest source of income, and tourists are always warmly welcomed to the island with Indonesia’s world-famous hospitality. The Lombok Strait marks the passage of the biogeographically division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia that is known as the Wallace Line EXTRACTED FROM MIX SOURCES