WEST TIMOR is rocky, steep and mountainous but very scenic with rugged countryside and traditional villages.  Most of the land is covered by grasses and dry savanna suitable for Sandalwood trees, which caused this Island to be well known

Today, most of the sandalwood is crushed, boiled and distilled to extract its oil, used for fixing perfumes.  Locally, a small amount of the sandalwood is processed into crude carvings and fans.  The oil is exported to France and the United States, while the waste powder is sold to Honkong, Taiwan and Singapore for joss sticks.

Interesting aspects of this island exquisite traditional "Ikat" weaving, traditional elliptical grass roof houses, mixed tribes from all over Nusa Tenggara Islands such as Savunese, Sumbanese, Bimanese, Florenese, also other races: Chinese, Arabs, Makasarese and Buginese.  Tetun is the largest ethnic groups.

Kupang is the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT), which includes West Timor, Rote, Sabu, the Solor and Alor Archipelagos, Sumba, Flores and Komodo. The city is very Indonesian, with its buzzing bemos and honking horns.  Beyond Kupang, West Timor’s landscape is captivating, with its spiky lontar palms, rocky soils and central hills dotted with villages of beehive-shaped huts.  It also has some fantastic coast line, though there are no resorts, just empty beaches.

Christianity is widespread, though in some rural areas animistic traditions endure.  Many villagers still defer to their traditional chiefs, wear ikat, munch betel nut and down tuak (palm-sap liquor) with relish.

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