Gili Trawangan is the largest of
Lombok's Gili Islands and the only one to rise significantly above sea level. Measuring 3 km long and 2 km
wide, it has a population of around 1500 . The name Trawangan originates from
the Indonesian word Terowongan due to the presence of a cave tunnel built there
during Japanese occupation in World War 2. Of the Gilis, Trawangan is the most
developed and geared towards tourism. The main concentration of settlement,
recreation, accommodation and diving business is situated on the eastern side
of the island. A local pub, Tîr na Nôg claims that Trawangan is the smallest
island in the world with an Irish pub. It was previously administered under
Lombok Barat Regency along with Senggigi until 2010 when the Gili islands came
under the jurisdiction of the new North Lombok Regency.
On Gili Trawangan , there are no motorised vehicles. The main
means of transportation are bicycles (rented by locals to tourists) and cidomo
(a small horse-drawn carriage). For travelling to and from each of the Gilis,
locals usually use motorised boats and speedboats.
Some of the first inhabitants of Gili Trawangan were
fishermen and farmers from Sulawesi. Previous to human settlement Gili
Trawangan was covered in forest and deer lived on the island.
The economy of Gili Trawangan centres on tourism, as the
island is too small to support any broad scale agriculture, and too remote to
allow economically viable industry or commerce. There is a mosque on the
island.
