Waingapu is the largest town in the eastern half of

Sumba Sumba (; ), natively also spelt as Humba, Hubba, Suba, or Zuba (in Sumba languages) is an Indonesian island (part of the Lesser Sunda Archipelago group) located in the Eastern Indonesia and administratively part of the East Nusa Tenggara pro ...

island,

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 ...

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, ...

. It is the capital town of the East Sumba

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 ...

(''Sumba Timur'').

History

About 5 km south of Waingapu, the prehistorical site of Lambanapu has been dated at around 2,800 BCE.

Transportation

Aviation

East Sumba's Waingapu Airport 'Umbu Mehang Kunda' (IATA: WGP - ICAO: WRRW) is located in Waingapu.

Maritime

The town is served by ferries from nearby islands. The Pelni Company runs two ferries through Waingapu. The KM ''Awu'' runs every two weeks on the two-way itinenary Benoa (Bali) – Bima (Sumbawa) – Waingapu – Ende (Flores) –

Savu Savu (, 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 on Su ...

–

Rote Island Rote Island (, also spelled ''Roti'') is an island of Indonesia, part of the East Nusa Tenggara Provinces of Indonesia, province of the Lesser Sunda Islands. According to legend, this island got its name accidentally when a lost Portuguese people ...

–

Kupang Kupang (, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 Indonesian census, 2020 Census, it had a population of 442,758;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as o ...

(West Timor) –

Larantuka Larantuka (, ) is a ''kecamatan'' (district) and the seat of East Flores Regency, on the eastern end of Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Like much of the region, Larantuka has a strong colonial Portuguese influence. The town (inc ...

(Flores) – Kalabahi (Alor Island). The smaller KM ''Wilis'' runs more or less every week on the two-way itinenary Batulicin (Borneo) –

Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...

(South Sulawesi) – Labuan Bajo (Flores) – Waikelo (Waitabula, Kota Tambolaka district, Sumba Barat Daya regency) – Waingapu – Ende –

– Kalabahi. Both use the new port (in front of the old port but 7 km by land between the two ports). The Sabuk Nusantara Company runs various freight and passenger boats linking Waingapu and Waikelo with Sumbawa, Flores and Timor about once a week (n° 79 generally for Waingapu and n° 49 for Waikelo). There is no fixed departure time. ASDP Indonesia Ferry has small ferries that do not run when the sea gets somewhat rough. It uses the port located 2 km beyond the new port and 9 km from town. Leaving from Waingapu, it does return trips twice a week to Aimere (the port for

Ngada Regency Ngada Regency is one of the regencies on the island of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. It is bordered by East Manggarai Regency to the west and Nagekeo Regency to the east, with the Flores Sea to the north and the Sawu Sea to ...

, Flores), once a week to Ende, once a week to Savu and three times a week to Kupang. Waingapu is the only port in the island that can accommodate oil tankers - which often run late.

Bus

Waingapu is the only town that has two bus stations on its periphery, one in the south and one in the west, each about 5 km out of town. But almost all buses depart from the old “Terminal Kota” in the town center, near the market or on Jalan El Tari; they probably stop by in the bus stations.

Administrative divisions

The town comprises two administrative districts of the regency, sub-divided into 11 urban (''kelurahan'') and 4 rural (''desa'') villages. The western part is the administrative Waingapu (town) District, while the eastern part is the separate Kambera District. Their areas and their populations at the 2010 and 2020Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. Censuses are tabled below, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, ''Kecamatan Kambera Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5302071)Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, ''Kecamatan Kota Waingapu Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5302070) Notes: : (a) Kambera comprises 7 urban villages (''kelurahan'') - Kambaniru, Lai Mbonga (Mauliru), Lambanapu, Malumbi, Mau Hau, Prailiu and Wangga - together with one rural village (''desa'') - Kiritana, in the far south of the district. : (b) Kota Waingapu comprises 4 urban villages (''kelurahan'') - Kamalaputi, Hambala, Kambajawa and Matawai - occupying just 10.4% of the area of the district in its northeast corner, plus 3 rural villages (''desa'').

Climate

Waingapu 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 ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Aw''), bordering a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(''BSh''). with relatively cooler dry season and hotter wet season. It has high humidity year round. It is amongst the driest places in Indonesia with only of rain yearly.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waingapu Populated places in East Nusa Tenggara Port cities and towns in Indonesia Geography of Sumba Regency seats of East Nusa Tenggara