Editing West Timor (section)

== Demographics ==
[[File:Night at Kupang city.jpg|thumb|Night view of Kupang City]]
The population in this region is diverse, consisting of various tribes and ethnicities that have different cultures and languages. The main tribe in West Timor is the Atoni tribe, which is the indigenous population, but there are also immigrant tribes such as the Timorese, Rote, and several others who come from various islands in Nusa Tenggara.

According to the latest data, the population of West Timor is around 2 million, with the population center in Kupang City, which is also the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province.<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik 2024">Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53)</ref>  The population of West Timor is mostly farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and traders. However, urbanization has caused many people to move to cities to find work in the service and industrial sectors.

In addition to ethnic factors, religion also plays an important role in the composition of society in West Timor. The majority of the population is Protestant Christian, but there are also significant Muslim and Catholic communities.

West Timor's geographical location adjacent to Timor Leste, a former Portuguese colony, means it has a long history of political, economic and social ties to the region.

=== Languages ===
[[File:Timor languages according to Edwards (2020).pdf|thumb|Languages of Timor]]
[[File:Metos cluster according to Edwards (2020).pdf|left|thumb|Dialects of Uab Meto according to Edwards (2020)]]
In addition to the national language, [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], native languages belonging to the [[Fabronic]] Stock of the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] group of languages (subgroup East Indonesian of the West Austronesian branch) are spoken in West Timor, the others in [[East Timor]]. These languages include [[Uab Meto]], [[Tetum language|Tetum]], [[Ndaonese]], [[Rotinese]] and [[Helong language|Helong]]. Whilst languages of a non-Indonesian type (especially in the east), which are generally categorised as [[Papuan languages]]. Uab Meto, the language of the Atoin Meto, belongs to the West Austronesian languages, as do Tetum and [[Kemak language|Kemak]], while [[Bunak people|Bunak]] is categorised as a Papuan language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/east-nusa-tenggara/west_timor.html|title=West Timor Tourism|website=indonesia-tourism.com}}</ref>[[File:Westtimor Mensch 4.jpg|thumb|Everyday and ritual clothing of the Atoin Meto in Kuan Fatu ([[South Amanuban]]) 1992]]The [[Atoni|Atoin Meto]] (Atoni)  form the dominant population of West Timor. The name Atoin Meto means native or indigenous (indigenous) people (''atoni'', human; ''meto'', internal to the culture, native, therefore not foreign). There are also ethnic names such as ''Atoni Pah Meto'', the "people of the dry land", a choice of name that refers to the settlement area, or simply Meto. In literature, the derogatory foreign names ''Dawan'', ''Orang Gunung'' (mountain people) or Timorese can be found, which can lead to confusion with the inhabitants of independent Timor-Leste. They live in the lower mountainous regions of the hinterland, where they prefer altitudes between 500 m and 1000 m for agricultural reasons, and populate the whole of West Timor, with the exception of the government districts of Belu and Malaka on the border with neighbouring East Timor. The Tetum, [[Bunak people|Bunak]] and [[Kemak people|Kemak]] ethnic groups, the majority of whom otherwise live in East Timor, mainly settle here. The various groups are linked by a wealth of economic and social ties.
In addition, the languages [[Helong language|Helong]] and [[Rote–Meto languages|Rotinese]], which are related to the Atoin Meto language, are spoken in the west of the island. Helong was the original language in Kupang, but has been largely replaced by Bahasa Indonesia and is only spoken in a few villages south of the city along the east coast and on [[Semau Island]]. Rotinese, the language from the island of Roti, is split into many dialects. Rotinese can be found in many regions of West Timor due to the resettlement programme carried out by the Dutch in the 19th century.

Knowledge of Dutch (the colonial language) is now limited to the older generations.

=== Religion ===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in West Timor (2023)<ref>{{cite web | url= https://e-database.kemendagri.go.id/dataset/1203/tabel-data?page=23| title=Religion in Indonesia }}</ref>
|label2 = [[Roman Catholic]]
|value2 = 40.66
|color2 = Purple
|label1 = [[Protestantism]]
|value1 = 54.13
|color1 = Blue
|label3 = [[Islam]]
|value3 = 5.03
|color3 = DarkGreen
|label4 = [[Hinduism]]
|value4 = 0.16
|color4 = DarkOrange
|label5 = [[Buddhism]]
|value5 = 0.01
|color5 = Yellow
|label6 = Others
|value6 = 0.01
|color6 = Red
}}

West Timor is one of the few areas in Indonesia that is mainly inhabited by [[Christianity in Indonesia|Christians]] today. Similar to Timor-Leste, [[Christianity]] is the religion of the overwhelming majority (94.8%) of the people of West Timor, 54.1% being Protestant and 40.7% being Catholic. Islam is followed by 5%. The remaining 0.2% includes Hindus and Buddhists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ntt.bps.go.id/backend1812/pdf_publikasi/Provinsi-Nusa-Tenggara-Timur-Dalam-Angka-2017.pdf|title=Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2017|website=BPS Nusa Tenggara Timur|access-date=1 October 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918080930/https://ntt.bps.go.id/backend1812/pdf_publikasi/Provinsi-Nusa-Tenggara-Timur-Dalam-Angka-2017.pdf |archive-date=18 September 2017}}</ref>

Originally, the Timorese were [[Animism|animists]]. The influence of Islam, which spread throughout South East Asia from the 15th century, did not reach Timor. The first [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] settled in 1556 and founded the [[Lifau]] (Lifao). The Dominican [[António Taveira]] promoted the missionisation of Timor. In the late 16th century, he focussed on the kingdoms on the north and south coasts. By 1640, a handful of priests had already founded 10 missions and 22 churches on Timor. However, a minority remained who were converted to Christianity. Ancestor worship and belief in spirits remained widespread.
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Offerplaats voor het huis van de raja van Nikiniki TMnr 60044430.jpg|thumb|Animistic sacrificial place in [[Niki-Niki]], 1928/29]]
It was not until the middle of the 19th century that a large-scale Catholic missionary programme began among the locals, although it was not until the early 20th century that it began to bear fruit with the conversion of 16 local princes. Protestant missionaries later followed to West Timor. Today, around 95% of the inhabitants of West Timor are Christians (54% Protestant, and 41% Catholic), 5% are Muslims. The number of practising Christians is very high, at around 80 to 85 per cent. However, a 2001 survey revealed that more than 70 per cent of the population is still rooted in both ancestor worship and belief in spirits.

In the east of West Timor (Belu, Malaka and North Central Timor Regency), the proportion of Catholics is significantly higher. For example, 96.5% of the almost 500,000 people in the diocese of Atambua are Catholic. From the Catholic missionary [[Apostolic Vicariate of Dutch Timor]] stem the Metropolitan [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kupang|Archdiocese of Kupang]] and its suffragan [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Atambua|Diocese of Atambua]]. Oe-Cusse Ambeno belongs to the East Timorese archdiocese of Dili.