The Raja Ampat, or Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising more than 1,500 small islands, reefs and shallow water at the northwest tip of the Beards Head Peninsula in New Guinea. It is located on the northeast coast of the Indonesian province of West Papua.
The four main islands of the archipelago are Misuul, Salavati, Batanta, and Waigeo, as well as the small island of Cofio.
The Raja Ampat region contains the highest recorded diversity of marine life on Earth, according to research by Conservation International. The diversity is significantly greater than in any other area of the Coral Triangle composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor. Located in the largest biodiversity of coral reefs in the world, Raja Ampat has the richest ecosystems and is very popular with wildlife connoisseurs.
