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Raja Ampat Island
The Raja Ampat Island in Irian is group spreads out over a huge
area and consists of over 610 islands. The four largest islands
are Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool. The area's reefs are covered
in a diverse selection of both hard and soft corals. Most of the
areas reefs are pristine, with mile after mile of perfect hard corals,
drift after drift of soft corals of many species and colors ranging
from brilliant red, to shocking yellow pretty pink and exotic purple.
Most reef dives are very colorful. The tourist would be able to
experience the best dives sites within those islands, which include
Cape Kri, Mellisa's Garden, Sardines Reef, The Passage, Nudibranch
Rock, Wai Island Night Dive.
Raja Ampat is the western
island of Papua Island. The name of Raja Ampat based on the legend.
This area had begun with 6 eggs that found by King Waikew in Waigeo
Island. But from the 6 eggs, just 5 eggs had crack. The last was
become an egg stone till now on.
From the fifth eggs that
had cracked, the 4 eggs was become men who become King of four big
islands that is Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool. While the
one egg became a woman, had wash away and stranded in Biak Island.
That woman was born a child named Gura Besi that known as the historical
man of Raja Ampat, because of his heroic story.
The regency that formed
based on the constitution number 26 in 2002, is the development
of Sorong regency on 12 April 2003. This area has 46.000 km2. But,
85% of this area is archipelago area. There are 610 islands in this
area. But most of them have no social life. This regency has 10
districts and 85 villages with about 48.707 men.
Geographically, this area has strategic location. Its boundaries
is:
North side: Pacific
Ocean
West Side: North Maluku
South side: Maluku Sea
East Side: Sorong Regency
For the fauna sector,
Raja Ampat has rarely fauna, such as; red birds of paradise (Paradise
Rubra), Wilson birds of paradise (Cicinnurs Republica), Maleo Waigeo
(Spilocuscus Papuensis), and rainbow fishes. Hence, for the flora,
Raja Ampat has many kinds of Orchids, Waigeo palm, ironwoods or
black woods, 'keruing', 'ulin' woods, etc.
Because of its various
nature profit, Raja Ampat will declared by Maritime Ministry Freddy
Numberi as ancient regency, based on its location that not only
rich of fishes, but also its sea herb and the pearl. |