Benteng Tawa V – a small settlement in Ngada Regency on the island of Flores, in Riung Barat District
Benteng Tawa V is a smaller Indonesian settlement located on the island of Flores in Nusa Tenggara Timur (East Nusa Tenggara) Province. Administratively, it belongs to Riung Barat Kecamatan (District), which is recorded as part of Ngada Regency (Kabupaten). Ngada Regency is situated in the central part of Flores island, bounded on the east by Nagekeo Regency, on the west by East Manggarai Regency, while the Flores Sea forms the natural border to the north and the Savu Sea to the south. Based on its coordinates (–8.605° south latitude, 120.907° east longitude), the settlement is located in a relatively sparsely populated, mountainous area of the island.
General overview
Benteng Tawa V, as its name suggests, is presumably a smaller, administratively independent unit or village section that forms part of a settlement group bearing the name Benteng Tawa. Riung Barat District itself is located in the western band of Ngada Regency, not far from the shores of the Flores Sea. Since the available source material extends only to the regency level, direct data on the settlement's internal characteristics, population, and infrastructure are not available. Regarding Ngada Regency as a whole, its area is 1,736.83 km², with a population count of 142,254 in 2010, 165,254 in 2020, and an official estimate of 174,088 as of mid-2024. The regency seat is the city of Bajawa. Ngada is generally a relatively small-population, rural-character area where agriculture, subsistence farming, and traditional lifestyle play a determining role in the daily lives of local communities. Riung Barat District, connected to the northern part of the regency, is considered a less urbanized zone where natural conditions and rural community structures dominate.
Real estate and investment
No local or district-level real estate market data are available regarding Benteng Tawa V; therefore, the broader context of Ngada Regency and Nusa Tenggara Timur Province may provide orientation below. Ngada Regency, although located near touristically known areas of Flores island, stands at a rather restrained level of development from a real estate market perspective. The province ranks among Indonesia's less developed, lower-income regions, which is reflected both in property prices and infrastructural provision. In Indonesia, foreign nationals cannot hold direct land ownership (freehold); primarily Hak Pakai (use rights) and various lease-based constructions are available to them. In Riung Barat District, as a rural area, real estate turnover is typically low and is mainly based on local transactions. From an investment perspective, the area is speculative in nature, as development potential largely depends on possible progress in infrastructure development and expansion of regional tourism demand.
Safety and security
No local or district-level public safety statistics are available regarding Benteng Tawa V. In general, it can be said that rural settlements in Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, including villages in Ngada Regency, typically do not rank among high-crime-rate areas within Indonesia. In rural Flores communities, traditional social cohesion and close village community order provide relatively stable public safety for the local population. However, since no concrete, verifiable data is available for the specific location, the information provided here should be understood solely on the basis of broader regional context and does not replace current, on-site information gathering.
Tourist attractions
The available source material contains no named tourist attractions in the immediate vicinity of Benteng Tawa V; therefore, the following addresses attractions known at the Ngada Regency level. The regency as a whole, particularly its interior, mountainous areas, can be counted among the otherwise frequently visited parts of Flores island. Bajawa, the seat of Ngada Regency, is known for the traditional Ngada villages in its surroundings, which preserve memories of ancient megalithic culture. On the northern edge of the regency, in the Riung area, the Tujuh Belas Pulau (Seventeen Islands) National Park is located at the shores of the Flores Sea and is counted as one of the natural tourism destinations in the region — this destination can be considered an area close to Riung Barat District, although the exact distance cannot be specified precisely from available sources. It is important to emphasize that the attractions mentioned above should be understood at the level of the regency and neighboring zones and are not necessarily directly accessible from Benteng Tawa V village.
Summary
Benteng Tawa V is a small, rural settlement on the island of Flores, in Riung Barat District of Ngada Regency, in Nusa Tenggara Timur Province. The available data extend only to the regency level, so reliable, concrete information about the settlement's independent characteristics, population, and infrastructure cannot currently be provided. Ngada Regency as a whole is a relatively small-sized, rural administrative unit whose development dynamics must be understood within the general context of the province. The broader region's natural resources and cultural heritage — particularly the traditional villages around Bajawa and the nature conservation areas of the northern coast — provide some indication of the environment in which Benteng Tawa V is situated.
