Raja Ampat Islands The Raja Ampat Islands are a series of four adjacent and relaxed islands in the western part of the Bird's Head (Vogelkoop) of Papua Island. Administratively, this cluster is under Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua Province. This islands are now the destination of divers who are interested in the beauty of underwater scenery. Four groups of islands are named according to the four largest islands, namely Waigeo Island, Misool Island, Salawati Island, and Batanta Island.

The origin of the name Raja Ampat according to the myth of society that comes from a woman who found seven eggs. The four grains were hatched into four separated princes and each became ruling kings in Waigeo, Salawati, Misool East and Misool West. Meanwhile, three other eggs became ghosts, a woman, and a stone.

In the course of history, Raja Ampat territory has long been inhabited by noble society and apply the customary system of Maluku. In this system, society is a group of people. Each village is led by a king. Since the founding of the five Muslim sultanates in Maluku, Raja Ampat became part of the claim of the Tidore Sultanate. After the Tidore Sultanate was subdued from the Netherlands, the Raja Ampat Islands became part of the claim of the Dutch East Indies.

People in the Raja Ampat Islands are generally traditional fishermen living in remote villages and different islands. They are a friendly society to receive outside guests, if we bring gifts to them in the form of pine nuts or candy. This item becomes a kind of 'indian peace pipe' in Raja Ampat. Performances accompanied by eating areca nut, also called "Para-the Pinang" often take turns throwing masses, the local term for funny stories.  They are Muslim and Christian and in one family or clan there is a member who does one of these two religions. This makes the Ampat people remain harmonious despite their different beliefs

Raja Ampat Islands according to various sources, is one of the 10 best sites for diving around the world. In fact, it may also awaken as number one for the completeness of underwater flora and fauna at this time.

Dr John Veron, an experienced rock expert from Australia, for example, in a site he revealed, Raja Ampat Islands located at the westernmost tip of Papua Island, about 50 miles northwest of Sorong, has the best coral reefs in Indonesia. 450 species of corals had fallen for two weeks of research in the area.

Conservation International team, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Oceanographic Institute (LON) of the Indonesian Institute Raja Ampat Islands is a very strategic place to serve as a tourist attraction, diving tour. The waters of the of Sciences (LIPI) conducted rapid assessments in 2001 and 2002. The results, they listed here over 540 hard coral species (75% total species in the world), more than 1,000 species of reef fish, 700 species of mollusks, and the highest record for gonodactyloid stomatopod crustaceans. This makes 75% of the world's coral species in Raja Ampat. Not only places with the same area have the number of coral species.

There are some coral reefs that are still very good condition with live coral cover percentage up to 90%, that is in Dampier strait (strait between Waigeo Island and Batanta Island), Kofiau Islands, Southeast Misool Islands and Wayag Islands. The types of coral reefs in Raja Ampat are generally coral reefs with steep sloping contours. There is also a type of atoll and type of burn or taka. In some places such as Saondarek village, during low tides, can be seen coral reef without diving and with its own adaptation, this coral can still coexist with open air and exposed to direct sunlight
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