Komodo Island (Indonesia)

Komodo (Komodo: Tana Modo; Indonesian: Pulau Komodo pronounced [koˈmodo]) is one of the 17,508 islands that comprise the Republic of 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 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 it 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. The waters surrounding Komodo Island contain 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 Eco-region, a WWF/IUCN Centre of Plant Diversity, one of the world’s Endemic Bird Areas and an ASEAN Heritage Park.