Komodo National Park

I am a collection of sunny islands in Indonesia, where the water sparkles turquoise blue and the hills are covered in dry grass. A giant lizard, with scaly skin and a long, flicking tongue, walks slowly across my land. They look like real-life dragons. I am Komodo National Park, a special home for these amazing creatures.

For a long time, only people on my islands knew about my giant lizards. But around the year 1910, stories of a 'land crocodile' reached scientists who lived far away. A Dutch explorer sent a picture of one of my lizards to a scientist named Peter Ouwens. In 1912, Peter shared the amazing news with the whole world. People were so excited. A little later, in 1926, an adventurer named W. Douglas Burden came to visit. He was so amazed by what he saw that his story helped inspire the famous movie King Kong.

Everyone soon realized that my dragons and the beautiful coral reefs in my waters were very special and needed to be kept safe. So, on March 6th, 1980, I was officially created. I became Komodo National Park, a protected place for my dragons, but also for deer, birds, and all the colorful fish that swim here. In 1991, the whole world agreed I was important, and I became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was like getting a big gold star for being a natural treasure that everyone should protect.

Today, people from all over the world visit me to see my amazing dragons and swim in my clear, blue waters. I get to teach everyone how important it is to care for our planet and all of its creatures. I am a living storybook of nature, and I promise to keep my dragons safe for many, many years to come.