Information AboutFlores |
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> Flores ( Portuguese for " Flower s") is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands , an Island Arc with an estimated area of 14,300 km&2 extending east from the Java island of Indonesia . Flores is located east of Sumbawa and Komodo and west of Lembata and the Alor Archipelago . To the southeast is Timor . To the south, across the Sumba strait, is Sumba and to the north, beyond the Flores Sea , is Sulawesi . Administration Flores is part of the , Ngada , Ende , Sikka and Flores Timur . Geography Flores has several active and dormant Volcanoes , including Egon , Ilimuda , Lereboleng , and Lewotobi (see the Full List ). Flora and fauna The west coast of Flores is one of the few places, aside from the island of Komodo itself, where the Komodo Dragon can be found in the wild. The Flores Giant Rat is also endemic to the Island. In September 2003, at Liang Bua Cave in western Flores, Paleoanthropologist s discovered skeletons of a previously unknown Hominid Species . '' Homo Floresiensis '', affectionately termed '' Hobbit s'' after the small characters in The Lord Of The Rings , appear to be miniaturized versions of '' Homo Erectus '' standing about one Metre tall. They may have existed until as recently as 11,000 BC . Local reports of Elf -like people, the Ebu Gogo , or the Orang Pendek of Sumatra, have caused speculation that Flores man may have survived into the historical period, or even to the present. The discovery has been published in the October 28 , 2004 issue of '' Nature '' magazine. {Link without Title} Culture There are many languages spoken on the island of Flores, all of them belonging to the , Nage , Keo , Ende , Lio and Palu'e , which is spoken on the island with the same name of the north coast of Flores. Locals would probably also add So'a and Bajawa to this list, which anthropologists have labeled dialects of Ngadha. Portuguese traders and missionaries came to Flores in the 16th century, mainly to Larantuka and Sikka . Their influence is still dicernible in Sikka's language and culture. Flores is almost all Catholic and represents one of the "religious borders" created by the Catholic expansion in the Pacific and the spread of Islam from the west across Indonesia. In other places in Indonesia, such as in the Malukus and Sulawesi the divide is less stark and has created bloody conflict. Tourism The most famous tourist attraction in Flores is Kelimutu ; three coloured lakes in the district of Ende. These coloured lakes change colours on a regular basis. The latest colours (late 2004) were said to be turquoise, brown and black. There is good Snorkelling and Diving on several locations along the north coast of Flores, most notably Maumere and Riung . However, due to the destructive practice of local fishermen using bombs to fish, and locals selling shells to tourists, the reefs are slowly being destroyed. References |