Indonesia: The country that houses the world’s largest gold mine and largest lizard too!
Earlier this year, Indonesia passed a law to change its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara. Back in 2019, the plan to relocate Indonesia’s government was proposed, and this year it has finally been approved. But do you know why Jakarta will no longer be the capital? Because it’s at a high risk of submersion due to regular floods and high population density that results in exploitation of natural resources. Now, the island country is back in the news, this time for a devastating earthquake. Recently, a shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 struck the main island of Java and claimed lives of 162 people, left hundreds injured and others missing, while rendering thousands homeless and destroying millions worth of property. As Indonesia battles this natural disaster, let’s look at 4 ‘large’ aspects of the world that this island nation can boast of.
Komodo Dragon: World’s largest lizard
Indonesia harbours the largest extant species of lizard in the world called the Komodo Dragon. It belongs to the monitor lizard family named Varanidae and grows up to 10 feet long and weighs approximately 70 kilograms. Komodo Dragon is native to the Komodo Island and some of the other neighbouring ones such as Rinca, Flores, and Gill Motang. Also known as Komodo Monitor, it has a venomous bite (it secretes toxic proteins as well as anticoagulants) used to hunt down preys, including humans.
Rafflesia: World’s largest flower
Besides the world’s largest lizard, Indonesia is also home to the world’s largest flower called Rafflesia, that is the diameter of over a yard. It is a large parasitic plant belonging to the genus Rafflesia (yes, the very same!) and is native to the entire island country. The flower has no roots, no stems or leaves and carries a pungent odour. In fact, it is often smelled (raw and unpleasant) before being seen, thus giving it the nickname ‘corpse flower’. In addition, the flower also has a unique characteristic—it blooms only once every year, but no one knows for sure when and how. Once fully blossomed, the flower stays alive for a few days or maybe a week. So, it’s really a matter of luck to come upon Rafflesia. However, sources cite it is deep red in colour and can grow up to 3 feet and can even weigh 10 kilograms.
Lake Toba: World’s largest volcanic lake
Located on the northern side of the island of Sumatra, Lake Toba is the world’s largest volcanic lake and harbours the caldera (a large crater formed by collapse of the cone of a volcano) of a super-volcano. In fact, the magma chamber situated underneath the lake is bigger than the US Lake Yellowstone. It is about 100 kilometres long, 30 kilometres wide and 500 metres deep. The super-volcanic eruption of Toba occurred approximately 75,000 years ago and had such a vast impact that it led to a global volcanic winter (reduced temperatures due to a volcanic activity) of up to a decade. In fact, this was perhaps the worst scale of volcanic eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years. Experts suggest it was 8/8 on the volcanic explosivity index. There’s also an island right in the middle of the lake called Samosir Island.
Grasberg Mine: World’s largest gold mine
If you are curious about gold reserves, the name Grasberg Mine might sound familiar to you. If not, let us tell you that it is the largest gold mine in the world and is located in Central Papua region of Indonesia. It is also the second largest copper reserve in the world and is jointly owned and maintained by the Indonesian government, the government of Papua New Guinea and an American company named Freeport McMoRan. It is spread across 11,000 hectares and offers employment to over 20,000 Indonesians.