Connect To Sea – Exploring the potential of Indonesia’s tourism sector will never end, especially its natural beauty. Not only is the natural view of the mountains cool, Indonesia’s tourism potential cannot be separated from the beautiful sea views it offers. It is so beautiful, the fact that the beauty of Indonesia’s seas is still a hot topic that is interesting to discuss in welcoming and commemorating World Oceans Day which falls every June 8.
As a very large archipelagic country, there are many interesting facts about the Indonesian sea that are interesting to find out. Moreover, the waters or marine sector in Indonesia is very rich and diverse. In fact, the beautiful sea views in Indonesia have succeeded in attracting the attention of foreign tourists, and often receive world recognition.
So, what is the beauty of Indonesia’s sea like? The following are interesting facts about Indonesian seas that Parekraf friends should be proud of:
The largest archipelagic country
The term Indonesia as a maritime country certainly cannot be separated from the area of Indonesia’s waters. Because of its size, Indonesia is known as the largest archipelagic country in the world. Indonesia’s maritime territory includes the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), territorial sea, and other areas that fall within Indonesia’s jurisdictional boundaries. In total, Indonesia’s sea area reaches more than 5.8 million square kilometers.
The largest coral reef in the world
An equally interesting fact about the Indonesian sea is that it has the largest coral reef in the world. It is estimated that the area of coral reefs in Indonesia reaches more than 51 thousand square kilometers, or the equivalent of 18% of the world’s coral reefs which are estimated at 284.3 square kilometers. What’s even more interesting is that because it is included in the Coral Triangle area , Indonesia is home to a variety of coral reefs.
Photo: The Indonesian
The largest turtle habitat in the world
There is one fact about the Indonesian sea that is still rarely known by some people, namely that Indonesia is the habitat of the most sea turtles in the world. No joke, Indonesia is home to 6 of the world’s 7 species of turtles! Quoted from WWF, several types of turtles that “live” in Indonesia are green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ), hawksbill turtles ( Eretmochelys imbricata ), olive ridley turtles ( Lepidochelys olivacea ), leatherback turtles ( Dermochelys coriacea ), flatback turtles ( Natator depressus ), and Loggerhead turtle ( Caretta caretta ).
The main purpose of diving
Being an archipelagic country famous for its underwater beauty, it is not surprising that Indonesia is the main diving destination for tourists. One of Indonesia’s diving spots which is considered a diving paradise and is a target for world divers is Misool Island, Raja Ampat.
As one of the paradises in Eastern Indonesia, Misool Island has a third of the world’s coral. That’s why, don’t be surprised if Parekraf friends can find various kinds of marine biota under the sea on Misool Island. Starting from thousands of ornamental fish, turtles, sharks, to rows of beautiful coral reefs.
Big current
The next interesting fact about the Indonesian sea is that it is famous for having large currents. This advantage is what ultimately makes Indonesia a world-class surfing spot . In fact, thanks to the big and challenging waves, there are quite a few international surfing championships that host Indonesia.
There are many choices of the best world-class surfing spots that Parekraf friends can find in Indonesia, one of which is in the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra. Of the total number of surfing spots in the Mentawai Islands, Sipora Island is one of the surfing locations that should not be missed. The reason is, this surfing spot has waves as high as 7 meters which are challenging.
Apart from the Mentawai Islands, there are still many choices of surfing spots in Indonesia which are often targeted by world surfers, including: Tanjung Setia Beach, Lampung; Sorake Beach, Nias; to Plengkung Beach, Banyuwangi.
Mangrove areas are the richest in carbon
It’s not just about underwater beauty, the facts about Indonesia’s seas can also be seen from the many mangrove areas or mangrove forests. Quoting from mongabay.co.id , mangrove areas in Indonesia are among the most carbon-rich forests in the world. In other words, this area contains three times more carbon per hectare than tropical forests in the lowlands, and five times more than tropical forests in the highlands.
Well, it turns out there are lots of facts about the sea in Indonesia that make us even more proud, don’t they?
