South Central Timor Regency () is a
regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
in
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara (; ) 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 north, with a total land area of 47,238.07 km2. It cons ...
province of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, established in 1958.
the regency has its seat (capital) in the town of
Soe. It covers an area of 3,955.36 km
2 and had a population of 440,470 at the 2010 Census
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and 455,410 at the 2020 Census;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 490,642 (comprising 243,758 males and 246,884 females).
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Timor Tengah Selatan Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog 1102001.5304)]
Mount Mutis, the highest mountain in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, is in the northern part of the regency. International visitors have noted that the region is rich in bird life and so is a good site for birdwatching.
Economy
The local economy in the area is poor and underdeveloped.
Subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
is the main economic activity in many villages. In addition, when opportunities are available, some local village communities sometimes undertake unregulated mining or other resource-based activities. For example, in the Kolbano Beach area south of Soe, there is a local industry in the collection of coloured stones. The stones, which come in a range of attractive shapes and sizes, are sold to local companies. The companies in turn export the stones to countries such as Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere. Sacks of stones sell (mid-2012) for between Rp 10,000 to Rp 25,000 (about US$1.00 to US$2.50). Local villagers are reported to be able to earn around Rp 50,000 (US$5) per day collecting stones although there are complaints that the prices paid to workers who collect the stones are too low.
However, there are concerns amongst some local community groups, such as the Mollo people in the Mount Mutis Sanctuary, about the environmental impacts of mining in the area. There has been social resistance, for example, to the activities of mining firms conducting marble quarrying. Partly as a result of the local resistance, marble mining firms abandoned their work in the area in 2010.
[Nani Afrida,]
Aleta Baun: Environmental heroine'
''The Jakarta Post'', 18 April 2013.
Administration
The regency is divided into thirty-two
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
(''kecamatan''), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census
and the 2020 Census,
together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Timor Tengah Selatan Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog 1102001.5304)] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of
administrative village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...
s in each district (totaling 266 rural ''desa'' and 12 urban ''kelurahan''), and its post code. They are grouped below for convenience into three geographical sectors (which have no administrative function) plus the regency capital, Soe.
Notes: (a) except the two ''desa'' (villages) of Bonleu and Tune (which have a post code of 85561).
(b) comprising 11 ''kelurahan'' (Cendana, Kampung Baru, Karang Sirih, Kobekamusa, Kuatae, Nonohonis, Nunumeu, Oekefan, Oebesa, Soe and Taubneno) and 2 ''desa''.
The ''kelurahan'' of Kobekamusa is an exclave to the east of the town, separated from the rest of Kota Soe by part of Amanuban Barat District.
(c) except the ''desa'' (village) of Mnelalete (which has a post code of 85514). (d) including one ''kelurahan'' - Niki-Niki.
References
{{Authority control
Regencies of East Nusa Tenggara