Sumbawa is an
Indonesian island, in the middle of the
Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with
Lombok to the west,
Flores to the east, and
Sumba further to the southeast. It is part of the
province of
West Nusa Tenggara, but there are presently steps being taken by the Indonesian government to turn the island into a separate province. Traditionally the island is known as the source of
sappanwood used to make red dye, as well as
honey and
sandalwood. Its savanna-like climate and vast grassland is used to breed
horses and cattle and to hunt
deer. Sumbawa has an area (including minor offshore islands) of (three times the size of
Lombok) with a current population (January 2014) of around 1.39 million. It marks the boundary between the islands to the west, which were influenced by religion and culture spreading from
India, and the region to the east that was less influenced. In particular this applies to both Hinduism and Islam.