[4] Sumbawa come from Portuguese Cumbava or Cimbava, assimilated from the locally used name Sambawa (still found as such in Makassarese, cf.

Because of Sumbawa's natural resources, it was regularly invaded by outside forces – from the Javanese, Balinese, and Makassar, to the Dutch and Japanese.

For a short period, the Balinese kingdom of Gelgel ruled a part of western Sumbawa.

The eastern parts of the island were traditionally divided into four sultanates: Sumbawa, Sanggau, Dompo, and Bima, which had links to the Bugis and Makassar peoples of South Sulawesi.

Historical evidence indicates that people on Sumbawa island were known in the East Indies for their honey, horses,[6] sappanwood, which is used to make red dye,[7] and sandalwood, which is used for incense and medications.

Tambora's colossal eruption in 1815 was the most powerful in recorded history, ejecting 180 cubic kilometres (43 cu mi) of ash and debris into the atmosphere.

[3] Proposals have been under consideration since 2013 by the People's Representative Council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR) to create a separate Sumbawa Island province;[12] there is no information as to whether the remaining part of the present province (i.e. the districts comprising Lombok Island) would then be renamed.

Sumbawa had, historically speaking, three major linguistic groups who spoke languages that were unintelligible to each other.

The Sumbawa people centered on the western side of the island speak Basa Semawa (Indonesian: Bahasa Sumbawa) which is similar to the Sasak language from nearby Lombok; the Bima people in the east speak Nggahi Mbojo (Bahasa Bima), which is closer to the languages spoken on Flores and Sumba.

The Don Donggo or "Mountain People" are a small minority ethnic group who occupy the cloudy highlands west of Bima Bay.

[15] The island is bounded by bodies of water; to the west is Alas Strait, south is the Indian Ocean, Saleh Bay creates a major north-central indentation in the island, and the Flores Sea runs the length of the northern coastline.

Many of the island residents are at risk of starvation when crops fail due to lack of rainfall.