Kupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia. The city is located in West Timor on the island of Timor, and had a population estimated in 2010 at 335,050. It is surrounded by (but is separate from) the Kupang Regency (whose capital is also the city of Kupang), which had a population estimated in 2009 at 394,173. It is the biggest city and port on the islan
d of Timor. The formal sector of the manufacturing sector in the Kupang area is mainly based on the cement industry. The export and import of goods from the local port is also an important part of the regional economy. Local service sector activities (trading, transport, food and drinks) also employ significant numbers of people in the informal sector. The airport of Kupang El Tari Airport (IATA-Code: KOE), is approximately 8 km towards the east of Kupang. As capital of East Nusa Tenggara, the transport and administrative links from Kupang with nearby but somewhat isolated islands are extensive. The location was an important port and trading point during the Portuguese and Dutch colonial eras. There are ruins and remnant signs of the colonial presence in the city. The city was an important landing and refueling place for early long distance airplane flights between Europe and Australia in the early twentieth century. It was an important location during the conflict in East Timor, for the Indonesian military, as well as the militias. The camps around Kupang were also of significant impact on the city. In 1962, the University of Nusa Cendana was established, and the city became important both in the field of education and also economically. The city is also the home of a private university called Artha Wacana Christian University. In 1967, the city was made the seat of the Diocese of Kupang. In 1989 the diocese was elevated to become the Archdiocese of Kupang. Kupang was the final destination of William Bligh who was set adrift in an open boat during the Mutiny on the Bounty (1789). The Mutiny on the Bounty took place about 30 nautical miles (56 km) from Tofua. Lt William Bligh navigated the overcrowded 23 foot (7 m) open launch on an epic 41-day voyage first to Tofua and then to the West Timor city of Kupang equipped only with a sextant and a pocket watch— no charts or compass. He recorded the distance as 3,618 nautical miles (6710 km). He passed through the difficult Torres Strait along the way and landed on 14 June. The only casualty of his voyage was a crewman named John Norton who was stoned to death by the natives of Tofua, the first island they tried to land on. News of the journey of Captain Bligh inspired the escape of a party of convicts from the penal colony at Sydney Cove, Australia. A group of nine convicts and two children, led by William Bryant, stole a small uncovered government boat and escaped from Port Jackson, Australia.[3] Ten weeks later, they arrived at Kupang, having covered 3,254 nautical miles (6,026 km), a feat as remarkable as Blighs, given that only three members of the group had any sailing experience. Kupang has a tropical wet and dry climate according to the Köppen climate classification. Unlike many cities outside Indonesia with this climate, average temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, averaging around 28 degrees Celsius,the temperatures have never exceeded 42.0 °C (108.0 °F) and have never fallen below 15.9 °C (60.6 °F). Kupang experiences wet and dry seasons of equal length, with the wet season spanning from November through April, and the dry season covering the remaining six months. Kupang sees its heaviest precipitation between December and March. The city sees on average roughly 1550 mm of precipitation annually.
