ABSTRACT
The Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara in Indonesian, the South-Eastern Islands—the official name from 1954) continue the chain of the Greater Sunda Islands, with Sumatra (Sumatera) coming out of the north-west and ending with Java (Jawa) at the Bali Strait, then the Lesser Sundas, from Bali to Timor, continuing eastwards. The southern Moluccas, islands of the archipelagic Maluku province, lie further east, continuing the chain towards Papua province on the island of New Guinea, while Celebes (Sulawesi) lies to the north. South is the Indian Ocean and, finally, Australia. The Lesser Sunda Islands lie within Indonesia, and are split administratively into three provinces, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat—NTB) and East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur—NTT), with the tail end of the chain falling within Maluku province. The largest island of the Lesser Sundas is Timor, which is split between Indonesia and its former province and now independent state, Timor-Leste (East Timor, in Indonesian Timor Timur). Timor-Leste not only includes the eastern end of the main island, but also an exclave on the northern coast surrounded by Indonesian territory.
