Kupang ( id, Kota Kupang, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara ( id, Nusa Tenggara Timur – NTT; pt, Sonda Oriental) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the nor ...
. At the 2020 C ensus, it had a population of 442,758;
the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 455,850. It is the largest city and port on the island of
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is East Timor–Indonesia border, divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western p ...
, and is a part of the
Timor Leste-Indonesia-Australia Growth Triangle free trade zone
A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cus ...
. Geographically, Kupang is the southernmost city in Indonesia.
History
Early history and Portuguese domination
Kupang was an important port and trading post during the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
and
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
colonial eras. There are still ruins and remnants of the colonial presence in the city.
Representatives of the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(VOC) first encountered Kupang in 1613 after having conquered the Portuguese fort on the island of
Solor. At this time the area of the city was governed by a
Raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
of the
Helong tribe, who claimed descent from the island of
Ceram in the
Maluku archipelago. Kupang occupied an ideal strategic position to exercise control over parts of Timor since it was possible to monitor shipping activities along the south coast of the island from the location. Moreover, the
Koinino River provided a supply of fresh water for the city.
An agreement was reached between the VOC and the Helong tribe, but due to a lack of VOC presence on Timor, Kupang was heavily influenced by the Portuguese
mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
population of
Flores
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...
, the
Topasses
Topasses (Tupasses, Topas, Topaz) were a group of people led by the two powerful families – Da Costa and Hornay – that resided in Oecussi and Flores. The Da Costa families were descendants of Portuguese Jewish merchants and Hornay were Dutc ...
, which led to the establishment of a Portuguese stronghold by the 1640s. However, by 1646, the VOC was firmly established on the nearby island of Solor, and renewed their agreement with the local Raja of Kupang. In January 1653, a Dutch fortification, Fort Concordia, was built on an elevated position on the left bank of the river estuary. Kupang then became the base of the Dutch struggle against the Portuguese. After a series of defeats were inflicted on the Dutch in between 1655 and 1657, large groups of refugees from the neighbouring VOC allies of the
Sonbai and
Amabi
Amabi was a traditional principality in West Timor in the currently East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. From at least the 17th century to 1917, Amabi played a role in the rivalries between the Portuguese and Dutch colonials on Timor Islan ...
principalities settled into the vicinity of Kupang and formed small polities on land that had traditionally belonged to the Helong. They were followed by two other groups, the Amfoan and the Taebenu, who arrived in 1683 and 1688, respectively. The Helong Raja remained the "Lord of the Land" (''tuan tanah'') but remained closely dependent on VOC authorities. However, apart from the territory of the Helong, the island of Timor was largely dominated by the Portuguese until 1749.
Dutch colony
The Dutch established a European-modelled administration with a
chief executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
(''opperhoofd'') and a council, which regulated affairs with the indigenous population through regular meetings (''vergaderingen''), and which also handled affairs with the nearby VOC-allied islands of
Rote,
Savu
Savu ( id, Sawu, also known as Sabu, Havu, and Hawu) is the largest of a group of three islands, situated midway between Sumba and Rote, west of Timor, in Indonesia's eastern province, East Nusa Tenggara. Ferries connect the islands to Waingapu ...
, and
Solor. Chinese traders and artisans were settled by the early 18th century and soon became an indispensable part of the local economy. The area of the town was also settled by various indigenous groups from the region, and by
mardijkers (who were the descendants of freed slaves under Dutch jurisdiction). In 1752, the population consisted of 827 Christians and an unspecified number of non-Christians. The political importance of Kupang increased greatly in 1749 when the Topasses were decisively defeated by the Dutch and their allies, which led to the extension of VOC influence over wide areas of western and central Timor. Nevertheless, Dutch influence on the island was somewhat diminished after 1761 due to incompetence and inaction on part of the colonial administration.
Kupang was the final destination of
William Bligh
Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...
, who was set adrift in an open boat following the
Mutiny on the Bounty
The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...
(1789). After travelling 3,618 nautical miles (6,710 km) from the Tonga Islands over 41 days, Bligh landed in Kupang on 14 June. News of his journey inspired a small party of nine convicts and two children to escape from the penal colony at
Sydney Cove, Australia, who escaped from
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
, Australia, and arrived at Kupang after ten weeks, having travelled 3,254 nautical miles (6,026 km).
VOC positions in the
East Indies
The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...
were attacked by British Forces following the
occupation of the Netherlands by French revolutionary armies in 1795. Kupang was assaulted in 1797, and the British were eventually expelled, although the town suffered extensive damage. Another British attack in 1811 was similarly defeated. After the
British occupation of Java, Kupang finally surrendered in January 1812, and the town was returned to the Dutch in 1816 following the end of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
The politics of the city in the early 19th century were dominated by Jacobus Arnoldus Hazaart, who governed Dutch Timor as ''Resident'' in three terms between 1810 and 1832, and handled matters with little intereference from the colonial government in
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
. During his tenure the Christian mission in the city experienced greater success than before, partially through the efforts of the missionary Reint LeBruyn (1799-1829). The town was opened to foreign trade in 1825, and fees were abolished three years later. Kupang's subsequent popularity with British and North American
whalers was diminished by the late 19th century after the relocation of whaling areas, although the city was a
free port
Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which com ...
after 1866. In 1917, the five small kingdoms that surrounded the town area (the Helong kingdoms of Kupang,
Sonbai Kecil,
Amabi
Amabi was a traditional principality in West Timor in the currently East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. From at least the 17th century to 1917, Amabi played a role in the rivalries between the Portuguese and Dutch colonials on Timor Islan ...
, Taebenu and Funai) were merged into the ''zelfbesturend landschap'' (self-ruling territory) of Kupang in 1917, which, in spite of the name, did not include the city itself. From 1918 to 1955 Kupang was governed by the Nisnoni family, a branch of the
Sonbai Dynasty.
Recent history and independence
The city was used for landing and refueling by long-distance flights between Europe and Australia. It was under
Japanese occupation between 1942 and 1945, and much of the Old Town was destroyed by Allied bombing. The city saw significant nationalist agitation but remained otherwise peaceful during the period of the
Indonesian revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during postwar and postcoloni ...
(1945-1949). Kupang was later part of the
State of East Indonesia that was established by the Dutch authorities in 1946, and the area of the city was included in the ''zelfbesturend landschap'' of Kupang. The city, along with the state of East Indonesia was later annexed into the
United States of Indonesia
The United States of Indonesia ( nl, Verenigde Staten van Indonesië, id, Republik Indonesia Serikat, abbreviated as RIS), was a short-lived federal state to which the Netherlands formally transferred sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies (except ...
in 1949, which was replaced by the current
Republic of Indonesia in 1950.
The city later became an important location in the
Timorese conflict. In 1967, the city became the seat of the
Diocese of Kupang. In 1989, the
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
was elevated to the
Archdiocese of Kupang. In April 2021, the city was heavily damaged by Tropical
Cyclone Seroja
Severe Tropical Cyclone Seroja was a deadly tropical cyclone that brought historic flooding and landslides to portions of southern Indonesia and East Timor and later went on to make landfall in Western Australia's Mid West region, becoming the fi ...
.
Geography
Kupang is located in the southwestern tip of the island of Timor. It is solely bordered by the
Kupang Regency
Kupang Regency is a regency in East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. It occupies the far western end of Timor Island (apart from the area of Kupang city, which has been administratively separated from the Regency since 11 April 1996), together ...
on land, and on its northern shore by the
Savu Sea
The Savu Sea (or the Sawu Sea) ( id, Laut Sawu, pt, Mar de Savu, tet, Tasi Savu) is a small sea within Indonesia named for the island of Savu (Sawu) on its southern boundary. It is bounded by Savu and Rai Jua to the south, the islands of ...
. It has a land area of 180.27 square kilometers (which is divided into six administrative districts), along with a water area of 94.79 square kilometers. The area around the city is geologically inactive, with soil composition characterised by non-volcanic materials such as
Latosol and
Terra rossa. At its highest point, the city is 62 metres above sea level, with inclination varying from 0 - 5%.
The topography of the city is mostly low-lying, but also includes groups of hills in the south and southwest, which has the effect of creating a relatively fertile
catchment area
In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
.
Climate
Under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Kupang has a
tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...
(''Aw''). Unlike many cities with this climate, Kupang's temperature varies little between the summer season (October to March) and the winter season (April to September). The hottest month is October (with an average temperature of ), while the coolest is July (with an average temperature of ). The city experiences extreme
wet and
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
s, with January being the wettest month (with an average total rainfall of ), while August and September are the driest months (with an average of only of rain in each month).
Demographics
Because of its status as a provincial capital, Kupang has become a multi-ethnic city and is a popular destination for migration from neighbouring regions. The city's population increased by 31% from 2010 to 2020. In that year, the ratio of males to females in the city was 51 to 50. As with most Indonesian cities, the population is young, with 65% of the city's population classified in the potential productive workforce of people over 15 years of age. The predominant age group is in the range of 20 to 24 years old, which can be attributed to an influx of young migrants from other regions. The population growth in 2020 was approximately 3%.
The majority of the city's population identify as Protestant (326,229). Smaller religious groups include Catholic (75,804), Muslim (44,419),
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
(6,114), and Buddhist (205).
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
in the city is 70 years, which, although slightly below the national level, is higher than the provincial figure.
Economy
![Night at Kupang city](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Night_at_Kupang_city.jpg)
The largest contributor to the local economy is the
service sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
, which provides 48.29% of the city's
gross regional product
Gross regional product (GRP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced in a region or subdivision of a country in a period (quarterly or yearly) of time.
A metropolitan area's GRP (gross metropolitan prod ...
and provides employment for 79.34% of the city's workforce. Meanwhile, the
primary sector
The primary sector of the economy includes any Industry (economics), industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining.
The primary sector tends to make up a larger portio ...
(which comprises agriculture and mining) only provides 2.33% of the city's gross regional product. Other significant economic areas include construction (16.29%), transportation (9.42%), finance and insurance (7.38%), and real estate (3.03%).
This economic profile significantly differs from that of neighbouring regions, which still rely on agriculture and resource extraction as the primary contributor to their economies. The amount of land used for agriculture in Kupang decreased by 41% from 2018 to 2019, while the industrial sector grew by 11% in the same timeframe. Industrial facilities in the city include three
cement plants operated by
PT Semen Kupang, which, in total, produce approximately 250,000 tons per year. This figure, however, has been deemed insufficient by the local government, on the grounds that the combined yearly cement needs for the province and the neighbouring country of East Timor exceed 1.8 million tons per year. This gave rise to a plan by the provincial government to
take over ownership of PT Semen Kupang in 2020 in order to increase production.
The city experienced
deflation
In economics, deflation is a decrease in the general price level of goods and services. Deflation occurs when the inflation rate falls below 0% (a negative inflation rate). Inflation reduces the value of currency over time, but sudden deflation ...
with an annual rate of 0.5% in 2019. The city experiences average annual
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
figures that are slightly below the national average. As of 2018, there were 31 banks in the city, with credit percentage increases of 53% in the same year, which contributed to the rapid growth of the city's financial sector. In addition, there were 4,534 trade companies registered in the city. The city experiences high economic growth, with a figure of 10% in 2019, which was significantly above the national level. In that year, the
unemployment rate
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the referen ...
was 9.78%.
Governance
Administrative division
As of 2021, Kupang was divided into six districts (''kecamatan''). The table below shows the area and population of each district according to the
2020 Census and the official estimates as at mid 2021.
Local government
As is standard among
Indonesian cities, Kupang is governed as a second-level administrative division, which is run by an executive branch consisting of a mayor and vice mayor, and a legislative body in the form of a city parliament. This system of government is approximately equivalent to that of a
regency
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
. The mayor, vice mayor, and members of the city parliament are elected by the population of the city. The district heads, however, are appointed directly by the mayor with the recommendation of the city secretary.
Politics
The city is coterminous with the 1st electoral district of East Nusa Tenggara province (out of a total of 8 electoral districts in the province), which sends 6 members to the 65-seat provincial parliament. The city parliament is made up of 40 representatives, which are divided into five electoral districts. This division can be seen in the table below. The last legislative election was in
2019 and the next one is scheduled to be held in 2024. As the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, the city is also home to the provincial parliament building and the governor's office.
Infrastructure
Health
As of 2021, there are 10 hospitals, 45
puskesmas
Puskesmas ( id, Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat, ) are government-mandated community health clinics located across Indonesia. They are overseen by the Indonesian Ministry of Health and provide healthcare for the population on sub-district level. ...
, 15
polyclinic
A polyclinic (where ''poly'' means "many"; not to be confused with the homonym policlinic, where ''poli'' means "city" and which is sometimes used for a hospital's outpatient department) is a clinic or health care facility that provides both gen ...
s, and 33
pharmacies
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links healt ...
in the city.
There are two international-class hospitals in the city, which are
Siloam Hospital and
Kupang Vertical Technical Implementation Unit Hospital
Kupang ( id, Kota Kupang, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 C ensus, it had a population of 442,758; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 455,850. It is the largest ci ...
. The latter is expected to become the
tertiary referral hospital
A tertiary referral hospital (also called a tertiary hospital, tertiary referral center, tertiary care center, or tertiary center) is a hospital that provides tertiary care, which is a level of health care obtained from specialists in a large ho ...
of East Nusa Tenggara province and the neighbouring country of
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
after its completion in June 2022. The
W. Z. Johannes Regional Public Hospital, located in Oebobo district, is owned by the city government, while army hospitals run by the
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...
such as the
Wirasakti Hospital (also located in Oebobo District) and the
Naval Army Hospital (located in Alak District) also provide public healthcare. The city contains several
medical laboratories
A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are conducted out on clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient to aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Clinical Medical labor ...
, which are used for various purposes such as water and food testing, agricultural and animal health, and medical sample testing. Two biomolecular laboratories were inaugurated in 2020.
Education
The city contains 122 kindergartens, 150 elementary schools, 59 junior high schools, 42 senior high schools, 24 vocational high schools, and 16 higher education institutions. Oebobo District hosts the largest amount of schools, while Kota Lama District hosts the least.
One of most notable universities in the city is the
University of Nusa Cendana, located in Kelapa Lima District, which is also the oldest university in the province. Other universities and higher education institutions include
Artha Wacana Christian University,
Widya Mandira Catholic University, and
Kupang State Polytech of Agriculture.
Place of worship
As of 2021, the city contained 69 mosques, 327 churches, seven
Hindu temples
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...
, and one
Chinese Buddhist temple.
Transportation
![Tenau Port Kupang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Tenau_Port_Kupang.jpg)
As of 2021, there were a total of 1,665.93 kilometers of road within the city, of which 1,423.05 kilometers had been paved with asphalt.
The city is served by
El Tari International Airport
El Tari International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional El Tari) is an airport in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The airport is named after El Tari (1926–1978), the governor of East Nusa Tenggara from 1966 to 1978. The airpo ...
, which in 2019 saw 936,159 arrivals and 992,048 departures. The main port of the city,
Tenau International Port, saw 176,888 arrivals and 204,919 departures.
In addition, the port also saw a total movement of 234,945 tons of goods in 2020.
In September 2020, the city launched its first
bus rapid transit system to improve public transportation in the city, especially for students. The BRT system, named
Trans Kota
Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of".
Used alone, trans may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
* ''Trans'' (film ...
, has four lines and operates from 08:00 to 16:00. However, this was met with opposition from owners and drivers of local
share taxi services, on the grounds that a BRT system would threaten their jobs. The city is also served by app-based
ride-hailing services such as
Grab and
Gojek
PT Gojek Indonesia (stylized in all lower case and stylized ''j'' as goȷek, formerly styled as GO-JEK) is an Indonesian on-demand multi-service platform and digital payment technology group based in Jakarta. Gojek was first established in Ind ...
.
See also
*
List of colonial Residents of Dutch Timor
This is a list of colonial Residents of Dutch Timor from the mid-seventeenth century to decolonization in 1949. Colonial rivalry on Timor between the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Portuguese began in 1613, conditioned by the desire to con ...
*
History of Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, also ...
*
List of regencies and cities of Indonesia
Regencies (''kabupaten'') and cities (''kota'') are the second-level administrative subdivision in Indonesia, immediately below the provinces, and above the districts. Regencies are roughly equivalent to American counties, although most citi ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in East Nusa Tenggara
Port cities and towns in Indonesia
Provincial capitals in Indonesia
Cities in Indonesia