CoralsRaja AmpatRaja Ampat Islands | West Papua | Indonesia
Raja Ampat Islands | West Papua | Indonesia
aerial view of a limestone island with a blue hole in Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

Seen from a bird’s eye view, the beautiful limestone islands found throughout Raja Ampat, Indonesia, look idyllic. In reality these are extremely rugged, karst formations formed underwater tens of millions of years ago by generations of marine organisms that secrete calcium carbonate. Subsequent tectonic plate activity caused these ancient reefs to uplift out of the sea and physical, chemical, and biological erosive forces have since carved the islands into what are now visible.

Raja Ampat Islands | West Papua | Indonesia
aerial view of a remote set of limestone islands with a heart-shaped, natural lagoon, Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

Relatively young and shallow fringing reefs currently thrive along the edges of these limestone islands as they provide protection from wind and waves. The reefs in this remote, equatorial region harbor some of the greatest marine biological diversity on planet Earth. Raja Ampat is therefore an area of great ecological importance.

Ethan Daniels, Blue Planet Archive photographer

Raja Ampat Islands | West Papua | Indonesia
aerial view of a pristine coral reef, Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean
Raja Ampat Islands | West Papua | Indonesia
aerial view of Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean
Raja Ampat Islands | West Papua | Indonesia
aerial view of Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

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