Komodo National Park has widely known with the home of the giant lizard Komodo Dragon - which has just declare to be one of the latest heritage of the world. This is the home of the giants lizard known as the "Komodo Dragon" it was thought to be a myth until the turn of the century, when fishermen who were forced by a storm to take shelter on Komodo sight the monsters.

Komodo National Park lies in the Wallacea Region of Indonesia. The Park is located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores at the border of the Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) and Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) provinces. It includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, and numerous smaller islands together totaling 603 km2 of land.  The total size of Komodo National Park is presently 1,817 km2.  Proposed extensions of 25 km2 of land (Banta Island) and 479 km2 of marine waters would bring the total surface area up to 2,321 km2

Komodo National Park was established in 1980 and was declared a World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1986.  The park was initially established to conserve the  unique Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), first discovered by the scientific world in 1911 by  J.K.H. Van Steyn.  Since then conservation goals have expanded to protecting its entire biodiversity, both marine and terrestrial.

The majority of the people in and around the Park are fishermen originally from Bima (Sumbawa), Manggarai, South Flores, and South Sulawesi.  Those from South Sulawesi are from the Suku Bajau or Bugis ethnic groups.  The Suku Bajau were originally nomadic and moved from location to location in the region of Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku, to make their livelihoods. Descendents of the original people of Komodo, the Ata Modo, still live in Komodo, but there are no pure blood people left and their culture and language is slowly being integrated with the recent migrants. Little is known of the early history of the Komodo islanders. They were subjects of  the Sultanate of Bima, although the island’s remoteness from Bima meant its affairs were probably little troubled by the Sultanate other than by occasional demand for tribute.

ABOUT KOMODO DRAGON
This is the world's largest monitor lizard, varanus Komodoensies, when full grown it measures up to 3.13 meters (10feet 2 inches) in length and weight anything up to 165.9kg (365pounds). They are fearsome creatures with enormous jaws, squat muscular legs and sharp claws. Preying on live deer, goats  and wild pigs, they lie in  wait hidden in the long grass. Young dragons spend most of their time in trees but dragons over 1.5m long can not climb well. Dragons over 2 meters are too heavy to climb trees. The Komodo dragons are constantly regulating their body temperatures.

In the early morning, they must warm-up their bodies in the sun. If their body temperature drops too low, the food in their stomach can rot and cause regurgitation or even death. However, the Komodo dragon's body temperature must not exceed 42 degrees celcius (108 degrees Fahrenheit). When it is too hot, they must rest and seek shade to prevent their body from over-heating. Dragons are most active from 6 - 10am in the morning and again from 3 - 5pm in the afternoon. During the rainy season. Komodo dragons stay in burrows if they are too cold. Komodo dragons sleep at night because it is usually too cool for them to be active.

They will sleep where they will not loose too much heat at the edge of the savanna and monsoon forest or in burrows. The average sleeping burrow is only 75cm to 1.25m in length. The Komodo dragons will use the burrows of rodents, palm civets, wild board, porcupine (on Flores) and those made by other Komodo dragons. Nesting burrows are about 2 meters long.

Fossils bearing a strong resemblance have been unearths from chalk deposits dating back 130 million years, about the end of the age of Dinosaurs. The few inhabitants dwelling on Komodo today have built their Kampong on stilts right next to the sea, and survive by dishing, as the land is dry and arid, almost impossible to cultivate. The water surroundings the island are rich in colorful corals, fish and shellfish, but there are nazardous rip tides and strong currents which make diving too risk for the novice.

Dolphins, whales and sea turtles are often seen in the straits between the islands, and a rare species of giants seawater crocodile has been sighted on isolated beach.

		DEMOGRAPHICS There are presently almost 4,000 inhabitants living within the park spread out over four settlements (Komodo, Rinca, Kerora, and Papagaran). All villages existed prior to 1980 before the area was declared a national park.  In 1928 there were only 30 people living in Komodo Village, and approximately 250 people on Rinca Island in 1930. The population increased rapidly, and by 1999, there were 281 families numbering 1,169 people on Komodo, meaning that the local population had increased exponentially.  Komodo Village has had the highest population increase of the villages within the Park, mostly due to migration by people from Sape, Manggarai, Madura, and South Sulawesi. The number of buildings in Kampung Komodo has increased rapidly from 30 houses in 1958, to 194 houses in 1994, and 270 houses in 2000. Papagaran village is similar in size, with 258 families totaling 1,078 people. As of 1999, Rinca’s population was 835, and Kerora's population was 185 people. The total population currently living in the Park is 3,267 people, while 16,816 people live in the area immediately surrounding the Park.
Traditional Customs: Traditional communities in Komodo, Flores and Sumbawa have been subjected to outside influences and the influence of traditional customs is dwindling. Television, radio, and increased mobility have all played a part in accelerating the rate of change. There has been a steady influx of migrants into the area. At the moment nearly all villages consist of more than one ethnic group. Religion: The majority of fishermen living in the villages in the vicinity of the Park are Muslims.  Hajis have a strong influence in the dynamics of community development.  Fishermen hailing from South Sulawesi (Bajau, Bugis) and Bima are mostly Moslems.  The community from Manggarai are mostly Christians. Anthropology and Language: There are several cultural sites within the Park, particularly on Komodo Island. These sites are not well documented, however, and there are many questions concerning the history of human inhabitance on the island. Outside the Park, in Warloka village on Flores, there is a Chinese trading post remnant of some interest. Archeological finds from this site have been looted in the recent past. Most communities in and around the Park can speak Bahasa Indonesia. Bajo language is the language used for daily communication in most communities. Religion: The majority of fishermen living in the villages in the vicinity of the Park are Muslims.  Hajis have a strong influence in the dynamics of community development.  Fishermen hailing from South Sulawesi (Bajau, Bugis) and Bima are mostly Moslems.  The community from Manggarai are mostly Christians. Anthropology and Language: There are several cultural sites within the Park, particularly on Komodo Island. These sites are not well documented, however, and there are many questions concerning the history of human inhabitance on the island. Outside the Park, in Warloka village on Flores, there is a Chinese trading post remnant of some interest. Archeological finds from this site have been looted in the recent past. Most communities in and around the Park can speak Bahasa Indonesia. Bajo language is the language used for daily communication in most communities Topography: The topography is varied, with slopes from 0 – 80%.  There is little flat ground, and that is generally located near the beach.  The altitude varies from sea level to 735 m above sea level. The highest peak is Gunung Satalibo on Komodo Island. Geology: The islands in Komodo National Park are volcanic in origin. The area is at the juncture of two continental plates: Sahul and Sunda. The friction of these two plates has led to large volcanic eruptions and caused the up-thrusting of coral reefs.  Although there are no active volcanoes in the park, tremors from Gili Banta (last eruption 1957) and Gunung Sangeang Api (last eruption 1996) are common. West Komodo probably formed during the Jurasic era approximately 130 million years ago. East Komodo, Rinca, and Padar probably formed approximately 49 million years ago during the Eocene era. Climate:  Komodo National Park has little or no rainfall for approximately 8 months of the year, and is strongly impacted by monsoonal rains. High humidity levels year round are only found in the quasi-cloud forests on mountain tops and ridges. Temperatures generally range from 170C to 340C, with an average humidity level of 36%. From November through March the wind is from the west and causes large waves that hit the entire length of Komodo island’s west beach.  From April through October the wind is dry and large waves hit the south beaches of Rinca and Komodo islands