Waingapu is the largest town in the eastern half of Sumba island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is the capital town of the East Sumba Regency (Sumba Timur). Not to be mistaken for Wainyapu, a traditional village in the western end of the island.

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 – Rote Island – Kupang (West Timor) – Larantuka (Flores) – Kalabahi (Alor Island). The smaller KM Wilis runs more or less every week on the two-way itinenary Batulicin (Borneo) – Makassar (South Sulawesi) – Labuan Bajo (Flores) – Waikelo (Waitabula, Kota Tambolaka district, Sumba Barat Daya regency) – Waingapu – Ende – Kupang – 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, 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 2020 Censuses are tabled below, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023. Notes:

Climate

Waingapu has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), bordering a tropical savanna climate (Koppen: Aw). with relatively cooler dry season and hotter wet season. It has high humidity year round. It is the driest place in Indonesia with only 850 mm of rain yearly.