Geography of TIMOR islands
(the frontier gate of southern indonesia)

West Timor is the principal island in terms of population where the capital of the province, Kupang, is located. Kupang is now being developed to be the gate- way to Nusa Tenggara. There are direct flights from /to Darwin-Australia. West Timor is rich in various cultures, beautiful sceneries, and a wonderful nature. Made up of dry, rocky land, isolated communities, rolling cattle land, a variety of styles of architecture, Timor is basically something that possesses its own original characteristics.

Kupang is the capital city of the East Nusa Tenggara covering the area of Flores, Sumba, Timor and Alor. The area of Timor has counted to include Roti, Savu, Semau island and other small island around. It comprises by several small islands Timor is also has rivers Noelmina and Benain - Mountain : Mutis. Humidity range from 70% - 95% with the lowest rainfall rating on Indonesia.

Being the main administration office of East Nusa Tenggara province, Kupang - on Timor is the main city on the East Nusa Tenggara. This province stretches between the east longitude of 118° and 125°, and between the southern latitude lines of 1 18° and 125°, and between the southern latitude lines of 8° and 12°. The territory of East Nusa Tenggara Province comprises 566 islands.

The islands are generally semi-arid, with a longer dry season lasting from March to November. The wet season lasts from December to March, but can be considerably shorter and small island of Savu. Flores has an irregular coastline and rugged landscape due to its volcanic origin. The vegetation is plentiful and rich in diversity. Wildlife includes species of lizards, monkeys and parrots. There is also an abundant marine life with reef sharks, sperm whales, dolphins and tropical fish. East Nusa Tenggara is mountainous, and very steep slopes are everywhere besides some not too wide plateaus or uplands. The lowlands are a long the coastal areas only. Despite of the situation, most part of this region is not fertile, since the rainfall varies between 500 mm and 2000 mm a year.

Demographics
West Timor has approximately 1.6 million inhabitants. The population is mostly of Malay, Papuan or Polynesian extraction, with a tiny ethnic Chinese group. About half of the population belongs to Atoni ethnicity. West Timor's main religions are Catholic (56%), Protestant (35%) and Muslim (8%)

The earliest historical record about Timor island is 14th century Nagarakertagama, Canto 14, that identify Timur as an island within Majapahit's realm. The Timor was incorporated into ancient Javanese, Chinese and Indian trading networks of the 14th century as an exporter of aromatic sandalwood, slaves, honey and wax, and was settled by both the Dutch, based in Kupang and Portuguese in the mid-17th century.

As the nearest island within a European settlement at the time, Timor was the destination of William Bligh and seaman loyal to him following the infamous mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. It was also where survivors of the wrecked HMS Pandora, sent to arrest the Bounty mutineers. landed in 1791 after that shop sank in the Great Barrier Reef.

The island has been politically divided in two parts for centuries. The Dutch and Portuguese fought for control of the island until it was divided by treaty in 1859, but they still did not formally resolve the matter of the boundary until 1912. The West Timor, was known as the Dutch Timor until 1949 when it became Indonesian Timor, as part of the nation of Indonesia which was formed from the old Netherland East Indies; while East Timor was known as Portuguese Timor, a Portuguese colony until 1975. It includes the enclave of Oecussi-Ambeno in West Timor.

The Japanese forces occupied the whole island from 1942 to 1945. They were resisted in a guerrilla campaign led initially by Australian commandos.

Following the military coup in Portugal in 1974 the Portuguese began to withdraw from Timor, the subsequest internal unrest and fear of the communist Fretellin party encouraged an invasion by Indonesia, who opposed the concept of an independent East Timor. In 1975, East Timor was annexed by Indonesia and became known as Timor Timur or Tim-Tim for short. It was regarded by Indonesia s the country's 27th province, but this was never recognised by the United Nations or Portugal.

The people of East Timor, through the Falintil the military wing of Fretilin, resisted 35.000 Indonesian forces in a prolonged guerilla campaign, but the whole island remained under Indonesian control until a refrendum held in 1999 under a UN sponsored agreement between Indonesia and Portugal in which its people rejected the offer of autonomy within Indonesia. The UN then temporarily governed East Timor until it became independed as Timor-Leste in 2002 under the presidency of Falintil leader Xanana Gusmao. Although political strife continued as the new nation coped with poverty the UN presence was much reduced.

A group of people on the Indonesian side of Timor have been reported active since 2001 trying to established a Great Timor State. However, there is no real evidence whatsoever that the people of West Timor most of whom are from Atoni ethnicity who are the traditional enemy of East Timorese, have any interest in joining their tribal enemies. Additionally, East Timor's independence movement never laid claim to West Timor at anytime, before the Indonesian invasion or thereafter. Similarly, the government of East Timor fully recognises Indonesia's existing boundaries as inherited from the Netherland East Indies. The is similar to the position taken by Papua New Guinea in relation to West Papua when the former became independent of Australia.

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