Wikijunior:World Heritage Sites/Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park is located within Indonesia. It is made up of 3 large islands which are named Komodo, Pandar and Rinca as well as 26 smaller ones. The total area of the Park is 1733 square kilometers. In 1980, the park was set up to protect the world largest Lizard called the Komodo Dragon. Inside the park, there are other endangered (which means they are about to disappear from Earth) animals. By setting up the park, all these animals can be protected from harm by humans as they cannot be captured and their living environment can be protected. In 1991, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site. The waters surrounding the islands have many species of fishes, corals as well as marine creatures living in it. The entire Park was named as one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature. The Park is now open to tourist to visit and about 36,000 to 45,000 visitors visit the park yearly.

Map showing location of Komodo National Park