Komodo (; ) is one of the 17,508 islands that comprise the Indonesia. It is particularly notable as the habitat of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth, which is named after the island. Komodo Island has a surface area of 291 square kilometres, and had a human population of about 1,800 in 2020.
Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands and forms part of the Komodo National Park. It is a popular destination for Scuba diving. Administratively, it is part of the Komodo District (which also includes Rinca Island and numerous other islands off the west coast of Flores, together with part of the western portion of Flores itself), forming part of West Manggarai Regency within the province of East Nusa Tenggara.
In 1991, Komodo island was included in the Komodo National Park and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve. It is considered one of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots. It has also been selected as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.[ New 7 Wonders of the world, retrieved 29 December 2011] The waters surrounding Komodo Island contains rich marine biodiversity. Komodo Island is also a part of the Coral Triangle, which contains some of the richest marine biodiversity on Earth.
It is also a WWF Global 200 Marine ecoregion, a WWF/IUCN Centre of Plant Diversity, one of the world’s Endemic Bird Areas and an ASEAN Heritage Park.
Description
Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands and forms part of the Komodo National Park. It lies between the substantially larger neighbouring islands
Sumbawa to the west and
Flores to the east. The island's surface area covers 291 square kilometres. Komodo Island is home to the Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard on earth.
History
The earliest stories (among Westerners) of a dragon-like animal existing in the region circulated widely and attracted considerable attention. But no Westerner visited the island to check the story until official interest was sparked in the early 1910s by stories from
Dutch people sailors based in
Flores in East Nusa Tenggara about a mysterious creature. The creature was allegedly a dragon which inhabited a small island in the Lesser Sunda Islands (the main island of which is Flores).
Hearing the reports, Lieutenant Steyn van Hensbroek, an official of the Dutch Colonial Administration in Flores, planned a trip to Komodo Island to continue the search. He armed himself, and accompanied by a team of soldiers, landed on the island. After a few days, Hensbroek managed to kill one of the lizards to investigate.
Realising the significance of the dragons on Komodo Island as an endangered species, the Dutch government issued a regulation on the protection of the lizards on Komodo Island in 1915.
In the decades since the Komodo became known to non-locals, various scientific expeditions from a range of countries have carried out field research on the dragons on Komodo Island.
People
Komodo had a population of about 1,800 at the 2020 census, spread out over the island and in the main Komodo village. The native population, the
Komodo people, has been extinct since the 1980s.
The island's present-day residents are descendants of former
convicts who were exiled to Komodo and who have mixed with
Bugis from
Sulawesi. The population is primarily adherents of Islam but there are also Christian and Hindu congregations.
Ecology
Komodo is part of the Lesser Sundas deciduous forests ecoregion. The island is also a popular destination for
Scuba diving and it has been included into the controversial New 7 Wonders of Nature list since November 11, 2011.
Fauna
The
Komodo dragon, the world's largest living lizard, takes its name from the island. A type of
monitor lizard, it inhabits Komodo Island and some of the smaller surrounding islands, as well as part of western Flores.
Javan rusa also inhabit the island, though they are not native. Other animals include
water buffalo,
, civets, cockatoos and macaques.
2020 closure
In April 2019, Indonesian authorities announced a plan to close Komodo Island to tourism for a limited period to allow for conservation efforts amid concerns over animal-smuggling.
In July 2019, it was confirmed that the island would be closed from the beginning of 2020. In September 2019, the park attracted further controversy when tourists complained that their guides were encouraging them to take selfies with Komodo dragons. The Governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur province, Viktor Laiskodat, said that a budget of Rp 100 billion (around $US 7.2 million) would be provided to support the conservation program.
[' Komodo Island to be closed in 2020: Agency', The Jakarta Post, 18 July 2019.] The plan is controversial: Governor Laiskodat has suggested that an expensive entrance fee be charged to foreign tourists while local villagers who live on Komodo Island are worried about the possible loss of income.
[Rebecca Henscheke and Callistasia Wijaya, ' The fight for Dragon Island', BBC World, 25 July 2019.]
See also
-
List of islands of Indonesia
