Boediono to Cast Vote for Komodo as World Wonder

ENDE, KOMPAS.com - Vice President Boediono is to cast his vote for the Komodo National Park, the habitat of the world’s biggest lizard, the Komodo, to have it  recognized as one of the Seven World Wonders.

Boediono is scheduled to cast his vote in Labuan Bajo, NTT, on Wednesday, according to Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik. The minister urged the Indonesian people to give their votes to the Komodo National Park, which has become one of the 28 finalists for the Seven World Wonders.

"If the the Komodo National Park is selected as one of the new Seven Wonders which will be announced in July 2011, it will help promote Indonesia’s tourism," he said.      

Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, covering a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers being land).    

The national park was commissioned in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands in the national park are of volcanic origin.       

There are some 4,000 to 5,000 living Komodo dragons in the park, specifically on the islands of Gili Motang (100), Gili Dasami (100), Rinca (1,300), Komodo (1,700), and Flores (2,000).