Komodo

island, Indonesia

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Komodo, island of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Nusa Tenggara Timur provinsi (province), Indonesia. The island, which has an area of approximately 200 square miles (520 square km), lies on the Sape Strait between Flores and Sumbawa islands. It is rather hilly, reaching a maximum elevation of 2,700 feet (825 metres). The only village, Komodo, on a bay on the east coast, consists of a few score bamboo huts. The island is best known as the home of the giant monitor lizard, Varanus komodoensis, often called the Komodo dragon.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.