KUPANG

also spelled Koepang, city, kabupaten (regency), and capital of Nusa Tenggara Timur propinsi (East Nusa Tenggara province), Timor island, Indonesia, located near the southwestern tip of the island on Teluk (bay) Kupang of the Savu Sea. Roads link it with Soe and Dili on Timor; Kupang also has an airport and lies on the JavaAustralia air route. It is a trade and transshipment centre; copra, hides, sandalwood, pearls, and fish are exported to Java, Irian Jaya, and Australia. The majority of the population is Papuan, with an admixture of Malayan and Polynesian peoples. Fishing and handicrafts, including wood carving, basket making, and leather tanning, are economically important. Coastal vessels are built in the port. The Universitas Nusa Cendana, founded in 1962, is located in Kupang. The Portuguese occupied the city in the 1530s but were expelled by the Dutch in 1613. The city was under Japanese occupation during World War II. Pop. (1980) city, 403,110; regency, 403,167.