Country Indonesia Province West Nusa Tenggara Languages spoken Indonesian, Sasak Area 862.62 km2 | Capital Gerung | |
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West Lombok Regency (Kabupaten Lombok Barat) is a regency (Indonesian: of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok and the capital is Gerung.
Contents
Map of West Lombok Regency
Location
West Lombok Regency is bounded by North Lombok Regency to the north, Central Lombok Regency to the south East Lombok Regency to the east and the Lombok Strait to the west. To the north of the region is Mount Rinjani which at 3,726 m is the third highest mountain the second largest volcano in the country and is and an active volcano The oldest recorded historical eruption was in 1847 and last eruption was in May 2010
Pink Beach Lombok Island
History
The Regency of West Lombok was established in 1958 and included the northern section of Lombok now recently established as the Regency of North Lombok. The West Lombok Administrative Region previously oversaw the West coast, Ampenan, Tanjung, Bayan, Gerung, Gondang and Cakranegara.
In 1993 the West Lombok district was separated into two autonomous regions. As a consequence of the formation of the Government of Mataram in year 2000 the capital of West Lombok was moved from Mataram, West Lombok to Gerung in the south of the district. This move resulted the 5 districts in the northern end of the island being too far away from the services of the West Lombok Regency HQ at Gerung. Subsequently in 2008 (and with the full support of the local government of West Lombok regency) North Lombok established its own regency government situated at Tanjung. The north of the island now functions autonomously from the West Lombok Regency.
Tourism
The western coast of Lombok has the most intensive tourism activity. Senggigi and the coastal strip to the south of the township toward Montong and north to the West Lombok Regencys border at Klui have many hotels, restaurants, bars clubs and other entertainment and acccomodation facilities. Mount Rinjani and the Gili Islands are further up the west coast in North Lombok Regency.
The newly upgraded west coast highway and the road from Mataram through the Pusuk pass connect the West Lombok Regency to the North Lombok Regency and are important tourism conduits unifying the islands tourism sector. The inland oriented Pusak pass road passes through attractive mountain and river gorges and has a population of monkeys that live in the nearby Monkey Forest park and Forest reserve. Bangsal and Tanjunk Teluk near Pemenang provide services connecting across the short distance of water to the Gili islands off the Sire Peninsular just south of Tanjung. The coastal highway has become a popular scenic route since the commencement of a comprehensive upgrade programme in 2008-2010. A little further to the north in the North Lombok Regency are the small townships of Bayan and Senaru which offer the main gateways to access Mount Rinjani, and Bangsal which provides a public ferry service to the nearby Gilli islands. Charter boats and ferries are active from Senggigi and Mangsit taking tourists to and from the west Lombok and north Lombok regions. Shuttle bus, hire cars, taxis and bemo services also provide links to the north.
Hotels in West Lombok Regency