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Komodo National Park is covering the three major
islands include Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang and
Padar, and numerous smaller islands together
totaling 603 km2 of land.
The total size of Komodo National Park is
presently 1,817 km2. Proposed extensions of 25
km2 of land (Banta Island) and 479 km2 of marine
waters would bring the total surface area up to
2,321 km2
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The majority of the people in and around
the Park are fishermen originally from
Bima (Sumbawa), Manggarai, South Flores,
and South Sulawesi. Those from South
Sulawesi are from the Suku Bajau or
Bugis ethnic groups. The Suku Bajau
were originally nomadic and moved from
location to location in the region of
Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku, to
make their livelihoods. Descendents of
the original people of Komodo, the Ata
Modo, still live in Komodo, but there
are no pure blood people left and their
culture and language is slowly being
integrated with the recent migrants.
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Presently almost 4,000 inhabitants living within
the park spread out over four settlements
(Komodo, Rinca, Kerora, and Papagaran). All
villages existed prior to 1980 before the area
was declared a national park. In 1928 there
were only 30 people living in Komodo Village,
and approximately 250 people on Rinca Island in
1930. The population increased rapidly, and by
1999, there were 281 families numbering 1,169
people on Komodo, meaning that the local
population had increased exponentially.
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Komodo Village has had the highest
population increase of the villages
within the Park, mostly due to migration
by people from Sape, Manggarai, Madura,
and South Sulawesi. The number of
buildings in Kampung Komodo has
increased rapidly from 30 houses in
1958, to 194 houses in 1994, and 270
houses in 2000.
Papagaran village is similar in size,
with 258 families totaling 1,078 people.
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As
of 1999, Rinca’s population was 835, and
Kerora's population was 185 people. The total
population currently living in the Park is 3,267
people, while 16,816 people live in the area
immediately surrounding the Park.
Religion:
The majority of fishermen living in the villages
in the vicinity of the Park are Muslims. Hajis
have a strong influence in the dynamics of
community development. Fishermen hailing from
South Sulawesi (Bajau, Bugis) and Bima are
mostly Moslems. The community from Manggarai
are mostly Christians
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