By Paulina Komedien
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August 2, 2024
The Raja Ampat Regency and islands (meaning ampat=four raja=kings in Bahasa Indonesia), is situated off the northwest tip of West Papua Province (Indonesia), with Sorong airport as the entry point. It is an archipelago compromising over 1500 small islands surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo (which are the four king-islands ). It is central to a vast area of the equatorial Pacific Ocean known as the Coral Triangle (an area that also contains parts of Malaysia, The Philippines, eastern Indonesia, Kalimantan/Borneo, and the territory east of the Solomon Islands). It holds the title for hosting the world’s greatest coral reef biodiversity. And is a major epicentre for marine biodiversity with over 550 different species of corals, 700 types of mollusks and 1427 species of fish. The seas around the Raja Ampat Islands are home to some of the richest variety of species in the world, including 75 percent of all known coral species.