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Friday, January 09, 2009

Raja Ampat Islands

Raja Ampat Islands " One of Wonder World"

Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world—an incredible 75% of all known coral species are found in the surrounding seas.


The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world.

The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease —threats that now jeopardize the survival of corals around the world. In ad
dition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Raja Ampat’s coral diversity, resilience to threats, and ability to replenish reefs make it a global priority for marine protection.


The Conservancy’s ultimate goal is to protect Raja Ampat’s magnificent reefs while sustaining the livelihoods of local people. Raja Ampat includes the four large islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool, plus hundreds of smaller islands. The archipelago is part of an area known as the Bird’s Head functional seascape, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia.

Uniqueness under the sea

The Raja Ampat Islands are found off the coast of Papua, Indonesia, in one of the remotest areas of the world for scuba diving.



Pygmy Seahorse

Pygmy Sea Horses which were once thought to be rare, are common here and of different varieties. Seen along with the sea horses are pipefish and flagtail pipefish.

Many colorful flat worms, nudibranchs and sea slugs dot the reef. Flashing File Clams are named for their unusual bioluminescence that streaks along the edge of there mantle. They are found here.

The Raja Ampat Islands gives us the opportunity to see an abundance of marine animals seen in few other places in the world


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Coral Raja Ampat

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice place..hope i can be there..

thanks for the comment..

Unknown said...

Very informative post. Raja Ampat includes hundreds of smaller islands. The archipelago of this area also includes an area the Bird’s Head functional seascape; it has Cenderawasih Bay and the largest Marine national park in Indonesia. Raja Ampat Island is a biological frontier, a complete habitat, plankton as the fortifying agent. The water is nothing bright or gentle but murky and powerful currents and so full of life. For more details refer Raja ampat