# Lembata > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lembata > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lembata.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lembata > Source revision: 1336189978 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Island in Indonesia}} {{About|the island|the [regency](/source/regencies_of_Indonesia)|Lembata Regency}} {{Infobox islands | name = Lembata | image_name = | image_caption = | image_size = | map_image = ID - Lomblen.PNG | map_caption = Location in Indonesia | native_name = ''Pulau Lembata'' | native_name_link = | nickname = | location = [Lesser Sunda Islands](/source/Lesser_Sunda_Islands) | coordinates = {{coord|8.40|S|123.57|E|region:ID|display=title,inline}} | archipelago = | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_km2 = 1,266.39 | area_footnotes = | length_km = | width_km = | highest_mount = [Ile Labalekang](/source/Ile_Labalekang) | elevation_m = 1621 | country = [Indonesia](/source/Indonesia) | country_admin_divisions_title = [Province](/source/Provinces_of_Indonesia) | country_admin_divisions = [East Nusa Tenggara](/source/East_Nusa_Tenggara) | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [Regency](/source/regencies_of_Indonesia) | country_admin_divisions_1 = [Lembata Regency](/source/Lembata_Regency) | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = | country_admin_divisions_2 = | country_largest_city = [Lewoleba](/source/Lewoleba) | country_largest_city_population = 43,159 | population = 143,345 | population_as_of = mid 2024 estimate | density_km2 = 113.2 | ethnic_groups = | additional_info = }} '''Lembata''' is an island in the [Lesser Sunda Islands](/source/Lesser_Sunda_Islands), also known as '''Lomblen''' or '''Kawela'''; it is the largest island of the [Solor Archipelago](/source/Solor_Archipelago), in the [Lesser Sunda Islands](/source/Lesser_Sunda_Islands), [Indonesia](/source/Indonesia). It forms a separate [regency](/source/Regencies_of_Indonesia) of the [province](/source/provinces_of_Indonesia) of [Nusa Tenggara Timur](/source/Nusa_Tenggara_Timur). The island has a very irregular coastline with numerous bays and [promontories](/source/promontories), of which the largest is the [Ile Ape](/source/Mount_Ile_Lewotolok) peninsula on the island's north coast. The length of the island is about 80 km from the southwest to the northeast and the width is about 30 km from the west to the east. It rises to an elevation of 1,621 metres at Mount [Ile Labalekang](/source/Ile_Labalekang). To the west lie the other islands in the archipelago, most notably [Solor](/source/Solor) and [Adonara](/source/Adonara) in the [East Flores Regency](/source/East_Flores_Regency), and then the larger island of [Flores](/source/Flores). To the east is the [Alor Strait](/source/Alor_Strait), which separates this archipelago from the [Alor Archipelago](/source/Alor_Archipelago). To the south across the [Savu Sea](/source/Savu_Sea) lies the island of [Timor](/source/Timor), while to the north the western branch of the [Banda Sea](/source/Banda_Sea) separates it from [Buton](/source/Buton) and the other islands of [Southeast Sulawesi](/source/Southeast_Sulawesi). ==Administration== The [Lembata Regency](/source/Lembata_Regency) includes the island of Lembata and three small offshore islands. It is sub-divided into nine [districts](/source/Districts_of_Indonesia) (''kecamatan''), in turn sub-divided into 151 villages, of which 96 are situated on the coasts and 55 are inland; seven villages are categorised as urban, the others as rural. == Geography == thumb|right|Teluk Waienga - protected bay of Lembata island The capital city '''[Lewoleba](/source/Lewoleba)''' (also known as '''Labala''') is found on the western part of the island next to a bay, across which lies [Ile Lewotolok](/source/Ile_Lewotolok) volcano to the north.{{Cite web |title=Global Volcanism Program {{!}} Lewotolok |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=264230 |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=Smithsonian Institution {{!}} Global Volcanism Program |language=en}} Ships frequently connect the coastal towns and surrounding islands, but the only large harbour exists at Lewoleba on the north coast of the island. From Lewoleba there are daily connections to [Larantuka](/source/Larantuka) (on Flores), and [Waiwerang](/source/Waiwerang) (on the neighbouring island of [Adonara](/source/Adonara)). Like the other Lesser Sunda Islands, and indeed much of Indonesia, Lembata is volcanically active. It has three major [volcano](/source/volcano)es, [Ililabalekan](/source/Ililabalekan), [Iliwerung](/source/Iliwerung), and [Lewotolo](/source/Lewotolo). == History == The south part of Lembata was the site of the state of Labala. == People == The people of Lembata are, like many other inhabitants of Eastern Indonesia, famous for their handmade [ikat](/source/ikat) weavings. The national language, [Indonesian](/source/Indonesian_language), is known by many people of all ages, but like on other islands the national language coexists with many local languages. The most widespread and most widely understood of these is probably [Lamaholot](/source/Lamaholot_language) (another [lingua franca](/source/lingua_franca) inside the [Solor archipelago](/source/Solor_archipelago)). Lamaholot is spoken as a native language on Eastern [Flores](/source/Flores) and Western [Solor](/source/Solor), and is itself divided into ten or more sublanguages (and many more dialects). It is spoken by 150.000 or more people in the region. Some of those sublanguages are indeed very distinct from Lamaholot, i.e. the Atadei language of [Atadei District](/source/Atadei_District) ([Kecamatan Atadei](/source/%3Aid%3AAtadei%2C_Lembata)), which again is subclassified as Eastern and Western Atadei, the former being spoken in [Atalojo](/source/Atalojo) for example, the latter in [Kalikasa](/source/Kalikasa).{{cite journal|last1=Krauße|first1=Daniel|title=A Brief Grammar of the Eastern Atadei Language of Lembata, Indonesia|journal=Linguistik Indonesia|date=2016|volume=34|issue=2|pages=115–116|url=http://www.linguistik-indonesia.org/images/files/ABriefGrammaroftheEasternAtadei.pdf|accessdate=9 August 2017|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415055613/http://www.linguistik-indonesia.org/images/files/ABriefGrammaroftheEasternAtadei.pdf|url-status=dead}} A very distinct language spoken in the eastern part of the island is [Kedang](/source/Kedang_language).{{cite book|last1=Samely|first1=Ursula|title=Kedang (Eastern Indonesia). Some aspects of its grammar|date=1991|publisher=Helmut Buske Verlag|location=Hamburg|isbn=3875480163|edition=Forum Phoneticum 46}} On the south coast of Lembata, the village of Lamalera (pop. 2,500) is known for its [hunting of sperm whale](/source/Sperm_whaling) and other deep-sea species. The hunting has been taking place for at least six centuries, and is allowed under [International Whaling Commission](/source/International_Whaling_Commission) regulations concerning [aboriginal whaling](/source/aboriginal_whaling). However, [conservationists](/source/whale_conservation) worry that commercial whaling also takes place, and that hunters use their engine-powered boats all year round to catch other protected species such as [manta ray](/source/manta_ray)s, [orca](/source/orca)s (''Orcinus orca''), [dolphin](/source/dolphin)s and oceanic [shark](/source/shark)s.{{cite news |last1=Emont |first1=Jon |title=A Whaling Way of Life Under Threat |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/world/asia/whaling-lamalera-indonesia.html |access-date=24 May 2022 |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |date=3 August 2017}}{{cite web |title=Spearing Whales For Survival: An Inside Look |url=https://www.uw360.asia/lamalera-spearing-whales-for-survival/ |website=Underwater360 |access-date=24 May 2022 |date=7 August 2018}} Lamalera and [Lamakera](/source/Lamakera%2C_Indonesia) (on the neighbouring island of Solor) are the last two remaining Indonesian whaling communities. ==Environment== In 2011, the [Indonesian Institute of Sciences](/source/Indonesian_Institute_of_Sciences) (LIPI) found two rare [coral reef fish](/source/coral_reef_fish) in the [Lamalera Sea](/source/Lamalera_Sea); they were [Yellow-fin fairy wrasse](/source/Cirrhilabrus_flavidorsalis) (''Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis'') and [swallowtail hawkfish](/source/swallowtail_hawkfish) (''Cyprinocirrhites polyactis''), which only exist in waters surrounding Indonesia and the [Philippines](/source/Philippines). The two species were the first to be found in Lamalera Sea, but similar types have been found near [Bali](/source/Bali) before. The fish were only found in seas with good coral reefs, although traces of bombing had been found around the coral reefs in the Lamalera Sea, but it was not serious yet.{{cite web |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/11/24/two-rare-fishes-found-east-nusa-tenggara.html |title=Two rare fishes found in East Nusa Tenggara |date=November 24, 2011}} In February 2016, a new species of flasher wrasse, ''[Paracheilinus alfiani](/source/Paracheilinus_alfiani)'', was described from a [holotype](/source/holotype) collected from the reef around Lembata.Adams, Jake. {{cite web |url=https://reefbuilders.com/2016/02/22/paracheilinus-xanthocirritus-p-paineorum-p-alfiani-flasher-wrasses/ |title="''Paracheilinus alfiani, P. paineorum'' & ''P. xanthocirritus,'' three new flasher wrasses" |date=30 August 2017}} ==References== {{portal|Islands}} {{Reflist}} ==External links== * https://web.archive.org/web/20060319135707/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1134/is_8_110/ai_79051531 {{Commons category|Lembata}} {{Authority control}} Category:Solor Archipelago Category:Populated places in Indonesia Category:Islands of Indonesia --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lembata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lembata) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lembata?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.