Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park is located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores in the Lesser Sunda islands of Indonesia. The Park belongs in the Komodo Sub-District of Manggarai District in the Province of East Nusa Tenggara.


Komodo National Park was established in 1980. The Park was also declared a World Heritage Site and A Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1986.

Komodo National Park includes both land and marine areas: The islands were declared a national park to protect the endangered Komodo dragons and their environment, as well as the biodiversity of the islands. The marine park was established to protect the high diversity of marine life in the waters surrounding the islands, some of the richest on the planet.


The main islands are Komodo Island, Padar, Rinca, Gili Mota and Nusa Kode but there are many smaller islands included as well.

Komodo National Park covers 1,817 square kilometers. The islands of Komodo National Park total over 603 square kilometers (60,300 ha) and the marine waters total 1,214 square kilometers (121,400 ha).


Komodo National Park lies in the heart of “Wallacea”. The Wallacea region resulted from two continents colliding together to form a unique set of volcanic islands that contain a mixture of both Australian and Asian birds and animals.

West Komodo was probably the first to form from volcanic activity in the Jurrasic era about 130 to134 million years ago. East Komodo, along with Padar and Rinca, are younger and probably emerged in the Eocene era about 49 million years ago.

Most of Komodo island is made of masses of volcanic rock flanked by sandstone, and conglomerates of limestone, sandy shale, and clay. Eastern Komodo island, Padar and
Rinca are mainly very steep hills of limestone from fossilized coral.


Rinca and several other small islands in the Park contain red-yellow Mediterranean soil. This type of soil is vulnerable to erosion especially after rains as frequent fires expose loose soil during the dry season. Komodo and Padar as well as some of the smaller islands in the Park contain grayish-brown complex soil. This soil is a made up of several types of soil, which are also vulnerable to erosion.

The highest point in Komodo is Gunung Satalibo at 735 meters above sea level.

There are no active volcanoes in the Park although the islands are located in one of the world's most active volcanic belts. Tremors from the volcanic belt are common. The closest active volcano is Gili Banta just 10 km west of Komodo Island. Gili Banta is a submarine volcano that last erupted in 1957. Gunung Sangeang Api located northwest of Komodo Island last erupted in 1996 and is still venting from the northern peak.

In general, rivers and streams appear during the rainy season and disappear during the dry season. However, fairly extensive water sources can be found on Gunung Ara and Gunung Satalibo on Komodo and on Doro Ora in Rinca. Waterflow is dependent upon the dense forest cover in these areas. These water sources provide limited fresh water via springs and pools throughout the year on Komodo and Rinca, but the quality and size of these springs vary greatly.

[source: KOMODO NATIONAL PARK official site]