tenggara

Tenggara is the Indonesian and Malay word meaning "southeast." In geographic use it can refer to the southeastern direction or to a named region within the archipelago. The term is most commonly associated with Nusa Tenggara, a chain of islands in the eastern part of Indonesia, whose name translates as the Southeast Islands.

Geographically, Nusa Tenggara comprises two provinces, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The provinces together cover a string of islands that runs from Bali in the west to Timor in the east, and forms part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. The region includes Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor Barat and numerous smaller islands; the terrain is largely volcanic and coastal, with a tropical climate and distinct wet and dry seasons.

Economy and culture: The area relies on agriculture, fishing and increasingly on tourism. Key activities include crop farming (rice, maize and cassava), cattle and sea-based livelihoods, and cultural tourism around beaches, diving and traditional arts. Indonesian is the official language, while regional languages such as Sasak, Bima, Manggarai, Sumba and Alor are spoken by many communities.

History: The Tenggara region has a history of local kingdoms and trading networks, later under Dutch colonial administration, and became part of the modern Indonesian state in the 20th century. The term Tenggara remains widely used in maps and geographic descriptions to denote the southeast portion of Indonesia, as well as in the broader sense of the Southeast.