Sumbawa

Sumbawa, island, southern Indonesia, in the Sunda Islands of the Malay Archipelago, near Flores and Sumba islands. With an area of 15,281 sq km (5,900 sq mi), Sumbawa is traversed by several mountain ranges, the northernmost of which is volcanic. A violent eruption in April 1815 of Tambora, the principal volcano, expelled some 50 cu km (12 cu mi) of magma and ash, reducing its height from about 4,300 m (14,000 ft) to its present 2,850 m (9,350 ft), leaving a crater up to 7 km (4.4 mi) across and 1,000 m (3,300 ft) deep. Estimates of those killed by the eruption range up to 50,000, with tens of thousands more dying from famine after the surrounding area of more than 500,000 sq km (190,000 sq mi) was covered in ash. Ash clouds spread around the Earth, causing a global cooling that made 1816 (called “the year without a summer”) disastrous for agriculture with huge losses in yields throughout Europe and North America.

The soil of Sumbawa is fertile, and farming and livestock-raising are important industries. Among the chief crops are rice and corn. Valuable stands of timber, including teak and sappanwood, are situated on the island. Horses, buffalo, and teak are exported from Raba, a seaport on the north-eastern coast. Population 304,134 (1980).