Flores
Native name: Pulau Flores | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Southeast Asia |
Coordinates | 8°40′29″S 121°23′04″E / 8.67472°S 121.38444°E |
Archipelago | Lesser Sunda Islands |
Area | 14,731.67 km2 (5,687.93 sq mi)[1] |
Area rank | 60th |
Length | 354 km (220 mi) |
Width | 66 km (41 mi) |
Highest elevation | 2,370 m (7780 ft) |
Highest point | Poco Mandasawu |
Administration | |
Indonesia | |
Province | East Nusa Tenggara |
Largest settlement | Maumere (pop. 91,550) |
Demographics | |
Population | 1,962,405 (mid 2023) |
Pop. density | 133.2/km2 (345/sq mi) |
Flores is one of the
Flores is located east of
Among all islands containing Indonesian territory, Flores is the 10th most populous after
.Until the arrival of modern humans, Flores was inhabited by
Etymology
Unlike most islands in the Indonesian archipelago, the modern name Flores was given by the Portuguese, from Cabo das Flores (Cape of Flowers), the Portuguese term for the eastern part of the island. This part of the island, originally called Kopondai, was so named by the Portuguese because of the flowering Delonix regia trees found there.[3] The original name of Flores was Nipa, referring to the serpent.
History
Prehistory
Before the arrival of modern humans, Flores was occupied by
Remains of nine individuals have been found,[6][7] and the dominant consensus is that these remains do represent a distinct species due to anatomical differences from modern humans.[8] The most recent evidence shows that Homo floresiensis likely became extinct 50,000 years ago, around the time of modern human arrival to the archipelago.[9]
Modern history
Flores was most likely first inhabited by Melanesians at least since 30,000 BC. This is shown in their DNA results which mirror those of Maluku and East Timor which are around half Melanesian and half Austronesian.
Portuguese traders and missionaries came to Flores in the 16th century, mainly to Larantuka and Sikka. Their influence is still discernible in Sikka's language, culture, and religion. The first Portuguese visit took place in 1511, through the expedition of António de Abreu and his vice-captain Francisco Serrão, en route through the Sunda islands.
The
The Larantuqueiros or Topasses became the dominant sandalwood trading people of the region for the next 200 years. This group used Portuguese as the language for worship, Malay as the language of trade, and a mixed dialect as the mother tongue. This was observed by William Dampier, an English privateer visiting the Island in 1699:
These [the Topasses] have no Forts, but depend on their Alliance with the Natives: And indeed they are already so mixt, that it is hard to distinguish whether they are Portuguese or Indians. Their Language is Portuguese; and the religion they have, is Romish. They seem in Words to acknowledge the King of Portugal for their Sovereign yet they will not accept any Officers sent by him. They speak indifferently the Malayan and their native Languages, as well as Portuguese.[10]
In the western part of Flores, the
In 1846, the Dutch and Portuguese initiated negotiations towards delimiting the territories but these negotiations led nowhere. In 1851 Lima Lopes, the new governor of Timor, Solor and Flores, agreed to sell eastern Flores and the nearby islands to the Dutch in return for a payment of 200,000 Florins to support his impoverished administration. Lima Lopes did so without the consent of Lisbon and was dismissed in disgrace, but his agreement was not rescinded and in 1854 Portugal ceded all its historical claims on Flores. After this, Flores became part of the territory of the Dutch East Indies.
During World War II a Japanese invasion force landed at Reo on 14 May 1942 and occupied Flores.[11] After the war, Flores became part of independent Indonesia.[10]
In 2017 two men were killed in Flores due to land disputes between warrior clans; the Mbehel, a
Administration
Flores is part of the
The eight
Kode Wilayah |
Name of City or Regency |
Statute (including year when established) |
Area in km2 |
Pop'n 2010 Census |
Pop'n 2020 Census |
Pop'n mid 2023 Estimate |
Capital | HDI[17] 2022 estimate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
53.06 | East Flores Regency (Flores Timur) (part of)(a) |
UU 69/1958 | 1,056.49 | 101,060 | 116,398 | 120,200 | Larantuka | 0.6493 (Medium) |
53.07 | Sikka Regency | UU 69/1958 | 1,675.36 | 300,328 | 321,953 | 335,360 | Maumere | 0.6606 (Medium) |
53.08 | Ende Regency | UU 69/1958 | 2,085.19 | 260,605 | 270,763 | 278,581 | Ende |
0.6797 (Medium) |
53.16 | Nagekeo Regency | UU 2/2007 | 1,416.96 | 130,120 | 159,732 | 166,063 | Mbay | 0.6622 (Medium) |
53.09 | Ngada Regency | UU 69/1958 | 1,620.92 | 142,393 | 165,254 | 171,736 | Bajawa | 0.6826 (Medium) |
53.19 | East Manggarai Regency (Manggarai Timur) |
UU 36/2007 | 2,391.45 | 252,744 | 275,603 | 290,790 | Borong | 0.623 (Medium) |
53.10 | Manggarai Regency (Manggarai Tengah) |
UU 69/1958 | 1,343.83 | 292,451 | 312,855 | 328,758 | Ruteng | 0.6583 (Medium) |
53.15 | West Manggarai Regency (b) (Manggarai Barat) |
UU 8/2003 | 3,141.47 | 221,703 | 256,317 | 270,917 | Labuan Bajo | 0.6492 (Medium) |
Totals | 14,731.67 | 1,701,404 | 1,878,875 | 1,962,405 |
Notes: (a) only the eight districts of this regency actually on Flores Island are included in these figures; the three districts comprising
islands off the west coast of Flores; these islands are part of a National Park and thus poorly inhabited.The main towns on Flores are
- Maumere, 91,550 inhabitants
- Ende, 88,921 inhabitants
- Ruteng, 43,578 inhabitants
- Larantuka, 41,500 inhabitants
- Bajawa, 40,259 inhabitants
Flora and fauna
The Komodo dragon is endemic to Flores and surrounding islands and has been continuously present on Flores for at least 1.4 million years.[5] Today, it is confined to a handful of small areas on Flores itself.[18]
The endemic fauna of Flores includes some rats (Murinae), some of which are now extinct, ranging from small-sized forms such as
Flores was also the habitat of several extinct dwarf forms of the proboscidean (elephant-relative)
Seismology
Flores Island is bounded by active tectonic regions, with the Sunda Trench to the south and the Flores back-arc thrust fault to the north. As a result, the island experiences many earthquakes each year and on occasion, tsunamis. The largest recorded earthquake in the region was the 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami, a magnitude 7.8 event that caused Severe shaking on the Mercalli intensity scale. The Flores back-arc thrust is of particular interest to researchers as it is believed to accommodate the transition between the Sunda Trench in the west and the subduction of the Australian Plate in the east. The Flores Thrust is approximately 450 km long and consists of a deep rooted basal fault and many overlying imbricate thrust faults. The system is highly active, with more than 25 earthquakes of a magnitude 6 or above since 1960. In 2018, a large sequence of earthquakes (such as on the 5th of August and in July) in Lombok ruptured sections of the Flores Thrust. The dip of the main thrust fault of approximately 2-3° compared to the 3-4° dip of the subducting plate on the Sunda Trench leads some to believe that the fault could someday be the site of a subduction polarity reversal and begin subducting. [21]
Culture
There are many languages spoken on the island of Flores, all of them belonging to the
Religion
The native peoples of Flores are mostly
Tourism
The most famous tourist attraction in Flores is the 1,639-metre-high (5,377-foot) Kelimutu volcano, containing three colored lakes, located in the district of Ende close to the town of Moni, although there is also the Inierie volcano near Bajawa. These crater lakes are in the caldera of a volcano, and fed by a volcanic gas source, resulting in highly acidic water. The colored lakes change colors on an irregular basis, depending on the oxidation state of the lake[24] from bright red to green and blue.
There are
The Luba and Bena villages include traditional houses in Flores. Bena is also noted for its Stone Age megaliths.
Larantuka, on the isle's eastern end, is known for its Holy Week festivals.
In recent years, local tourist firms around Kelimutu have begun promoting cycling tours around Flores, some of which take up to five or six days depending on the particular program.[25]
Economy
In addition to tourism, the main economic activities on Flores are agriculture, fishing and seaweed production. The primary food crops being grown on Flores are
Gallery
-
The Lesser Sunda Islands with Flores in the upper right
-
Ruins belonging to a Portuguese fort, dating from the 16th century nearEnde.
-
An ancientNgadamegalith
-
Dancers in Watublapi
-
Villager with a headress and chest ornamentation
Transport
There are at least six airports in Flores distributed along the island, ordered from west to east:
- Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo
- Frans Sales Lega Airport or Ruteng airport
- Pahdamaleda Airport or Bajawa airport
- Turelelo Soa Airportin Bajawa
- Endeairport
- Frans Xavier Seda Airport or Maumere airport
- Gewayantana Airport close to Larantuka city.
See also
- Dutch Empire
- Flores (Azores)
- Homo floresiensis
- Kingdom of Larantuka
- Manggarai people
- Maunura
- Nage tribe
- Portuguese Empire
- Simon Milward
- Theodorus Verhoeven
Notes
- ISBN 962-593-076-0.
- ^ a b c Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53)
- ^ Flores, Encyclopædia Britannica
- PMID 23874886.
- ^ S2CID 252290750.
- S2CID 26441.
- S2CID 4302539.
- PMID 28438318.
- S2CID 4469009.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9751229-1-4.
- ^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Lesser Sunda Islands 1941–1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
- ^ "Deadly trouble for surf pioneer in Indonesia's new paradise". The Australian. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ Manggarai Barat District includes islands like Komodo and Rinca to the west of Flores
- ^ Flores Timur District includes islands like Adonara and Solor to the east of Flores, for which the figures are excluded.
- ^ Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
- ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
- ^ "[New Method] Human Development Index by Regency/City 2020-2022" (in Indonesian). Statistics Indonesia. 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- S2CID 254279437.
- S2CID 91562355.
- (PDF) from the original on 15 October 2018 – via repository.si.edu.
- ^ Xiaodong Yang; Satish C Singh; Anand Tripathi (25 February 2020). "Did the Flores backarc thrust rupture offshore during the 2018 Lombok earthquake sequence in Indonesia?". Geophysical Journal International. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Steenbrink (2013)
- ^ Dagur, Ryan (28 May 2019). "Indonesia inaugurates first Catholic university in Flores". La Croix International.
- ^ Pasternack. Keli Mutu Volcanic Lakes Archived 2 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine, University of California Davis.
- ^ Makur, Markus (13 March 2016). "Bicycle tours of Kelimutu boost local economy". The Jakarta Post.
- ^ East Nusa Tenggara Archived 10 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ^ Arabica Producing Regions of Indonesia, Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
References
- L, Klemen (1999–2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942". Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
- Steenbrink, Karel (2013). "Dutch Colonial Containment of Islam in Manggarai, West-Flores, in Favour of Catholicism, 1907–1942". Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 169 (1): 104–128. .
External links
- Media related to Flores, Indonesia at Wikimedia Commons
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. IX (9th ed.). 1879. p. 337. .
- Flores & Komodo – History Archived 24 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine