Waingapu

Geographical unit

Waingapu [ wai.ŋa.pu ] is the administrative center and the largest city on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. It is located in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. The city has a port and the largest airport of the island, which is approached also from Germany. It applies to the air and waterway as the best landing point of the island. Waingapu has around 10,710 inhabitants.

Waingapu located on the northeast coast of the island. A few kilometers north- west of it there is a beautiful long sandy beach ( Pantai Kuta or Londalima called ), which is not to be reached by public transport. The climate in this region is extremely dry, rocky landscape.

There are no tourist attractions in Waingapu. The town is the starting point for excursions to the villages East Sumba. About three kilometers east of the city lies Prailiu, a village known as the center of ikat weaving. Ikat cloths have in East Sumba different functions - they can express the social status of the wearer, but they can also - for example, when used to wrap a corpse - be part of a religious rite.