!!!Raja Ampat archipelago

by Max Guzovskiy,
member of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

19 June 2017

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The territory of Indonesia includes the Raja Ampat archipelago located
in the waters of the Pacific Ocean in West Papua province. AirPano
sincerely thanks Max Guzovsky for photographing this remote and exotic
corner of the Earth.

The name "Raja Ampat" means "Four Kings". The local legend tells of the
royal beings who hatched out of the eggs found by a woman. They occupied
four biggest islands of Raja Ampat; there were three other eggs that
became a ghost, a woman, and a stone.

This strange inexplicable legend is hardly understandable for a
westerner and does not explain the most significant feature of the
archipelago: its nature. Raja Ampat is a part of the so-called "Coral
Triangle" which is distinguished by the richest marine biodiversity in
the world.

[{Image src='01_Raja Ampat archipelago, Indonesia.jpg' caption='Raja Ampat archipelago, Indonesia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='444'}]

In fact, the water area of these islands is the habitat of the greatest
number of living beings — there are more species in this region than in
any other area of the Coral Triangle which includes Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor.
It is the home for more than 500 species of corals, a thousand species
of fish and around seven hundred species of shellfish, lots of whales,
dolphins and many other members of marine life. All it makes the
archipelago the richest marine ecosystem in the world.

The coastal city of Sorong is the gateway to Raja Ampat — it is located
on the north-west coast of West Papua. In the beginning of the 20th
century, oil and gas resources were found here, and since then Sorong
has become one of the main oil and gas frontiers of Indonesia. At the
same time, this city can hardly be identified as industrial: its small
houses scattered among green hills create a charming and serene
atmosphere.

[{Image src='02_Top view.jpg' caption='Top view' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='513'}]

Unfortunately, no journey can give an opportunity to have a look at all
the 1,500 islands of the archipelago. But even those few shown in the
panoramas will make you feel the magnificence of the local nature.

Located right in the centre of the archipelago, the island of Pulau
Mansuar has huge attracting opportunities for diving and snorkelling.
Thick jungles of this island are said to be the home for the worldly
known bird of paradise; you can see many endemic species of fish in its
mangrove forests, and finally, all this beauty is crowned by the
abundance of corals. Mangrove Homestay, a chain of traditional Papuan
accommodation, exemplifies common island Indonesian architecture:
bungalows on piles will make you feel like a local for a while. By the
way, at a low tide, one can walk straight to the neighbouring island
Kri, and it makes Mansuar a particularly interesting destination.

[{Image src='03_Green Lagoon, Groot Fam.jpg' caption='Green Lagoon, Groot Fam' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='513'}]

The Fam Islands group is among world's best places for getting
acquainted with sea animals and the coral diversity. One of the most
popular islands is Pianemo, and Fam island itself has a nice view point
overlooking the nearest small islands dispersed in the emerald lagoon.
This view eventually became a recognisable landmark of the whole
archipelago. And our panoramas captured from a greater height will allow
visualising the picture to the full.

[{Image src='04_Raja Ampat archipelago, Indonesia.jpg' caption='Raja Ampat archipelago, Indonesia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='513'}]

One more place that has been included in the panorama series dedicated
to the Indonesian islands is Fort Belgica. It is located south of Raja
Ampat, on one of the Banda Islands, a part of the Maluku archipelago.

Till the middle of the 19th century, the Banda Islands had been the
world's only source of nutmeg and they were known as the Spice Islands.
In the end of the 17th century, the Dutch drove the Portuguese out of
these lands and in order to protect new possessions they built a new
fort on the site of a former fortress. Neverending earthquakes, humidity
and low-quality materials made the fort be constantly restored; the
modern five-angled stone bastion had been formed till 1673.

However, the fort has never served its purpose: in 1796 it surrendered
to the British army without a single shot. Eventually, there were fights
for possessing the fortress which damaged the construction. In the 20th
century, the Indonesian government funded the complete reconstruction of
the monument and in 2015 together with all the Banda islands it
attracted the attention of UNESCO experts. They announced the history of
the islands and its picturesque seascape to be the candidates for
enlisting in UNESCO World Heritage Register.

[{Image src='05_Mangrove Homestay, Pulau Mansuar, Raja Ampat.jpg' caption='Mangrove Homestay, Pulau Mansuar, Raja Ampat' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='664'}]

As soon as you see this corner of the Earth through the AirPano
panoramas you will definitely agree with the opinion.

\\ \\
[7 Panoramas of Raja Ampat archipelago|Geography/Asia/Indonesia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Raja_Ampat_archipelago]










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