- published: 16 Jan 2015
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The Bima language, or Bimanese, is the language of the eastern half of Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, which it shares with the Sumbawa language. Bima territory includes the Sanggar Peninsula, where the extinct Papuan language Tambora was once spoken. It is closely related to the languages of Sumba Island to the southeast. There are over half a million Bima speakers.
Bima is a city on the eastern coast of the island Sumbawa in central Indonesia's province West Nusa Tenggara, and the largest city on the island. In 2010 the municipality counted some 142,443 people, separate from (but surrounded by) the adjoining Regency of Bima with 407,636 population. The city is located on eastern shore of Bima bay, traditionally Bima was a port city that connected to other port cities in Eastern Indonesia such as Makassar and Ternate, as well as to ports in Lombok, Bali, and East Java. The people of Bima and the entire eastern side of Sumbawa speak what is known as Bahasa Bima Bima language or Nggahi Mbojo in native language. Modern day Bima is the largest regional and economic hub of Eastern Sumbawa with transmigrants from other parts of Indonesia, especially Java, Bali, and Lombok. It has a central downtown commercial zone. It is home to Sultan Salahuddin mosque and a Sultan Salahuddin museum (former Bima Sultanate palace). It is connected by provincial road to Dompu and Sape.