KOMODO

Komodo Island is an island located in the Nusa Tenggara islands. Komodo Island is known as a habitat for native animals dragons. The island is also the Komodo National Park which is managed by the Central Government. Komodo Island in the eastern island of Sumbawa, separated by Sape Strait.

Administratively, this island including the District of Komodo, West Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Komodo Island is the most western tip of East Nusa Tenggara province, bordering the province of West Nusa Tenggara.

On the island of Komodo, Komodo animals live and breed well. Until August 2009, on this island there are about 1,300 Komodo dragons tail. Coupled with the other islands, such as Island and Rinca and Gili Motang, their numbers totaled about 2500 tails. There are also approximately 100 individuals dragons in Wae Wuul Nature Reserve on the mainland island of Flores, but not including the Komodo National Park.

Besides Komodo, this island also store a variety of exotic flora that Sepang wood by local people used as a medicinal and dye clothing, nitak tree Sterculia oblongata in this or believe to be useful as medicines and seeds are tasty and delicious like peas.

History

In 1910 the Dutch named the island on the south side of East Nusa Tenggara province is the nickname of the island of Komodo. This story begins with Lieutenant Steyn van Hens Broek who tries to prove statements about the presence of Dutch troops large animal resembling a dragon on the island. Steyn then kill a dragon and bring documentation to the Museum and Botanical Garden in Bogor to be investigated.

In 2009, the Park has been named a finalist in the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" that the new announced in 2010 by online voting at www.N7W.com

Komodo

Komodo, or the more called Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), is the world's largest lizard species that live on the island of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Gili Dasami in Nusa Tenggara. This lizard by the natives of Komodo island is also called by local names ora.

Including family members Varanidae lizards, and klad Toxicofera, dragons are the largest lizards in the world, with an average length of 2-3 m. Large size is associated with symptoms of island gigantism, the tendency for body meraksasanya certain animals that live on a small island linked to the absence of carnivorous mammals in the island where dragons live, and the rate of metabolism of small dragons. Because of her size, these lizards occupy the position of a top predator that dominate the ecosystems in which they live.

Komodo dragons are found by western researchers in 1910. He was a great and terrible reputation that makes them popular in zoos. Dragons in the wild habitat has been shrinking due to human activity and therefore incorporate dragons IUCN as a species vulnerable to extinction. This large lizard is now protected under Indonesian law and a national park, the Komodo National Park, established to protect them.

Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park lies between the province of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.

This national park consists of three large islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Padar Island and several smaller islands. Terrestrial national park is 603 km ² and the total area is 1817 km ².

In 1980 the national park was established to protect the Komodo dragon and its habitat. There are 277 species of animal which is a mix of animals from Asia and Australia, which consists of 32 species of mammals, 128 species of birds and 37 species of reptiles. Together with the Komodo dragon, at least 25 species of land animals and birds, including protected animals, because there is limited or limited their deployment.

Moreover, in this area there are also coral reefs. At least 253 species of reef-building corals are found there, with about 1,000 species of fish. The beauty of these reefs to attract foreign tourists to swim or dive in these waters.

These islands were originally volcanic islands. The population in this region is about 4,000 people. In 1986 this park was accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Komodo National Park is also nominated in 7 natural wonders of the world version of New7Wonders.