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Flores Island Information
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Flores island is one of the island on East Nusa Tenggara province.
It stretches between the east longitudes of 118 degrees and 125
degres and between the latitudes of 8 degres and 11degres south.
The east Nusa Tenggara cover the area 49,880 sq km and it has a
population of 3,500,000.
Flores becomes one of the biggest island on the territory of East
Nusa Tenggara or NTT which comprises 566 islands, including many
smaller islands which are not in-habituated and unnamed. The three
main islands are Flores, Sumba and Timor from which comes the term
'Flobamor', which has been familiar as one of the names of NTT.
Flores Island and Komodo Island Map
Flores is the volcanic island and has unique and spectacular
attractions. Mount Kelimutu has become a favorite destination,
with its three crater lakes of different colors. Sumba is the
island famous for its arts, handicrafts, particularly the textile
weaving, and cultural assets. Timor, being the principal island
with Kupang as its capital, serves as the centre of government and
economic activities.
The other permanently inhabitated islands are Lembata, Adonara,
Solor, Palue, Nules, Komodo, Rinca, Sumba, Sabu, Raijua, Rote,
Semau, Alor and Pantar. Roughly 57 percent of the territory is
hilly with mountains rising to 2427m (Gunung Mutis) in Timor and
1792m (G. Kelimutu) in Flores. The mountains of East Nusa Tenggara
are not as high as in West Nusa Tenggara where the highest
mountain of all of Nusa Tenggara is G. Rinjani in Lombok (3726m).
Geologically, East Nusa Tenggara can be regarded as being divided
into two zones: a volcanic inner curve formed by the islands of
Rinca, Komodo, Flores, Alor, Pantar, Adonara, Lembata and Solor,
which have fertile soils; and an outer curve of limestone and
other rock formations, made up up of Sumba, Sabu, Rote, Semau and
Timor. Flora and fauna The west coast of Flores is one of the few
places, aside from the island of Komodo itself, where the Komodo
dragon can be found in the wild.
The Flores giant rat is also endemic to the Island. In September
2004, at Liang Bua Cave in western Flores, pale anthropologists
discovered skeletons of a previously unknown hominid species. Homo
floresiensis, affectionately termed hobbits after the small
characters in the Lord of the Rings, appear to be miniaturized
versions of Homo erectus standing about one meter tall.
They may have existed until as recently as 11,000 BC. Local
reports of elf-like people, the Ebu Gogo, or the Orang Pendek of
Sumatra, have caused speculation that Flores man may have survived
into the historical period, or even to the present.
The discovery has been published in the October 28, 2004, issue of
Nature magazine and the April 2005 issue of the National
Geographic Magazine.
However, on August 21, 2006, the National Geographic Newsletter
published an article reporting that several scientists now believe
that the remains discovered in 2004 were not of a different
species but were pygmies.
Flores was also a habitat of the extinct Stegodon dwarf elephant
until approximately 18,000 years ago. Culture There are many
languages spoken on the island of Flores, all of them belonging to
the Austronesian family.
In the centre of the island in the districts of Ngada and Ende
there is what is variously called the Central Flores Dialect Chain
or the Central Flores Linkage. Within this area there are slight
linguistic differences in almost every village.
At least six separate languages are identifiable. These are from
west to east: Ngadha, Nage, Keo, Ende, Lio and Palu'e, which is
spoken on the island with the same name of the north coast of
Flores. Locals would probably also add So'a and Bajawa to this
list, which anthropologists have labeled dialects of Ngadha.
Portuguese traders and missionaries came to Flores in the 16th
century, mainly to Larantuka and Sikka. Their influence is still
discernible in Sikka's language and culture.
Flores is almost all Catholic and represents one of the "religious
borders" created by the Catholic expansion in the Pacific and the
spread of Islam from the west across Indonesia. In other places in
Indonesia, such as in the Maluku and Sulawesi, the divide is more
rigid and has been the source of bloody sectarian clashes Tourism
The most famous tourist attraction in Flores is Kelimutu; three
coloured lakes in the district of Ende. These colored lakes
change colors on a regular basis.
The latest colors (late 2004) were said to be turquoise, brown
and black. There is good snorkeling and diving on several
locations along the north coast of Flores, most notably Maumere
and Riung.
However, due to the destructive practice of local fishermen using
bombs to fish, and locals selling shells to tourists, combined
with the after effects of a devastating tsunami in 1992, the reefs
have slowly been destroyed.
Labuan bajo (on the western tip of Flores) is a town often used by
tourists, from where they can visit Komodo and Rinca.
Labuan bajo also attracts scuba divers, as whale sharks inhabit the
waters around Labuanbajo.
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