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{{Short description|Island of the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia}}
{{about|the Indonesian island|the Portuguese island|Flores Island (Azores)|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox islands
|name=Flores
|native_name=
|native_name_link=
|image_name=Flores Topography.png
|image_caption=Topography of Flores
|map_image=Flores Locator.svg
|map_caption=Location of Flores
|location=[[Southeast Asia]]
|coordinates={{Coord|8|40|29|S|121|23|04|E|type:isle_scale:2500000|display=inline,title}}
|archipelago=[[Lesser Sunda Islands]]
|total_islands=
|major_islands=
|area_km2=14,250
|area_footnotes=<ref name="EBO">{{cite EBO |short=yes |title=Flores |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Flores-Indonesia |access-date=2025-04-01}}</ref><ref name="MONK_7">{{Cite book|last=Monk|first=K.A.|author2=Fretes, Y.|author3=Reksodiharjo-Lilley, G.|title=The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku|publisher=Periplus Editions Ltd.|year=1996|page=7|location=Hong Kong|isbn=962-593-076-0}}</ref>
|rank=60th
|length_km=354
|width_km=66
|highest_mount=[[Poco Mandasawu]]
|elevation_m=2,370
|country=Indonesia
|country_admin_divisions_title=Province
|country_admin_divisions=[[East Nusa Tenggara]]
|country_largest_city=[[Maumere]]
|country_largest_city_population=89,519
|population=2,014,110
|population_as_of=mid 2024
|density_km2=146.4
|ethnic_groups=
}}

'''Flores''' is one of the [[Lesser Sunda Islands]], a group of islands in the eastern half of [[Indonesia]]. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the [[East Nusa Tenggara]] Province. The area is 14,250&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="EBO"/> Including [[Komodo (island)|Komodo]] and [[Rinca]] islands off its west coast (but excluding the [[Solor Archipelago]] to the east of Flores), the population was 1,878,875 in the 2020 Census (including various offshore islands); the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 2,014,110.<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik 2025">Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53)</ref> The largest towns are [[Ende, Indonesia|Ende]] and [[Maumere]]. The name ''Flores'' is of [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] origin, meaning  "Flowers".

Flores is located east of [[Sumbawa]] and the [[Komodo (island)|Komodo]] Islands, and west of the [[Solor Islands]] and the [[Alor Archipelago]]. To the southeast is [[Timor]]. To the south, across the [[Sumba Strait]], is [[Sumba]] Island, and to the north, beyond the [[Flores Sea]], is [[Sulawesi]].

Among all islands containing Indonesian territory, Flores is the 10th most populous after [[Java]], [[Sumatra]], [[Borneo]] ([[Kalimantan]]), [[Sulawesi]], [[New Guinea]], [[Bali]], [[Madura]], [[Lombok]], and [[Timor]], and also the [[List of islands by area|10th biggest island of Indonesia]].

Until the arrival of modern humans, Flores was inhabited by ''[[Homo floresiensis]]'', a small [[archaic human]].

==Etymology==
Unlike most islands in the Indonesian archipelago, the modern name ''Flores'' was given by the Portuguese. 
According to Sareng Orin Bao (1969),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Orinbao|first1=P. Sareng|year=1969|title=Nusa nipa: nama pribumi nusa Flores (warisan purba)|location=Ende (Flores)|publisher=Nusa Indah|oclc=689999229}}</ref> 
the oral tradition of the [[Sikka Regency|Sikka]] region gave the island the original name of Nusa Nipa,{{efn|Maasin, one of the oldest towns in [[Southern Leyte]] (Philippines), was also called Nipa.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Maasin city|website=southernleyte.gov.ph|url=https://southernleyte.gov.ph/maasin-city/maasin-city-history/|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref>
}} meaning 'Dragon island'<ref>{{cite web|title=Where Do Indonesian Islands' Names Come From ?|website=thespicerouteend.com|date=22 November 2020 |url=http://thespicerouteend.com/where-do-indonesian-islands-name-come-from/|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref> or Snake island. (''Nipa nai'' means "ascending snakes"; ''kaju nipa nai'' is the name of an unidentified tree with a bark resembling snake skin, but it can also mean "driftwood", or any sort of wood washed up in a flood.{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=266}})
Forth says that "'Nusa Nipa' is a designation which at present is widely accepted on Flores as the indigenous name for the entire island. Despite the argument of Sareng Orin Bao (1969) who adduces a variety of evidence favoring this interpretation, it remains uncertain whether this was in a fact a traditional usage, or at any rate one that was known throughout Flores".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Forth|first1=Gregory|year=1998|title=Beneath the volcano: religion, cosmology and spirit classification among the Nage of eastern Indonesia|location=Leiden|publisher=KITLV Press|isbn=90-6718-120-X}}</ref> The names ''Tandjoeng Bunga'' or ''Tanjung Bunga''<ref>{{cite web|title=Flores surga kita > History & Flores today|website=travel2flores.info|url=https://www.travel2flores.info/planning/facts-flores/|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref> and ''Pulau Bunga''<ref>{{cite web|title=Flores|website=komodotouristic.com|date=22 October 2019 |url=https://www.komodotouristic.com/flores/|access-date=2024-06-10}}
</ref> are also mentioned.

The eastern part of the island, originally called Kopondai, was called ''Cabo das Flores'' (Cape of Flowers) by the Portuguese because of the flowering [[Delonix regia|flamboyant]] trees found there.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Flores|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Flores-Indonesia|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref> That name remained.

==History==

===Prehistory===
{{Main|Homo floresiensis}}
Before the arrival of modern humans, Flores was occupied by ''[[Homo floresiensis]]'', a small [[archaic human]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Baab|first1=Karen L.|last2=McNulty|first2=Kieran P.|last3=Harvati|first3=Katerina|year=2013|title=Homo floresiensis Contextualized: A Geometric Morphometric Comparative Analysis of Fossil and Pathological Human Samples|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=8|issue=7|article-number=e69119|bibcode=2013PLoSO...869119B|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0069119|pmc=3707875|pmid=23874886|doi-access=free}}</ref> The ancestors of ''Homo floresiensis'' arrived on the island between 1.3 and 1 million years ago.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=van den Bergh|first1=Gerrit D.|last2=Alloway|first2=Brent V.|last3=Storey|first3=Michael|last4=Setiawan|first4=Ruly|last5=Yurnaldi|first5=Dida|last6=Kurniawan|first6=Iwan|last7=Moore|first7=Mark W.|last8=Jatmiko|last9=Brumm|first9=Adam |last10= Flude |first10= Stephanie|last11=Sutikna|first11=Thomas|last12=Setiyabudi|first12=Erick|last13=Prasetyo|first13=Unggul W.|last14=Puspaningrum|first14=Mika R.|last15=Yoga|first15=Ifan|date=October 2022|title=An integrative geochronological framework for the Pleistocene So'a basin (Flores, Indonesia), and its implications for faunal turnover and hominin arrival|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277379122003523|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|language=en|volume=294|article-number=107721|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107721|bibcode=2022QSRv..29407721V|hdl=10072/418777|s2cid=252290750|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

As of 2015, partial remains of fifteen individuals have been found,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kaifu|first1=Yousuke|last2=Kono|first2=Reiko T.|last3=Sutikna|first3=Thomas|last4=Saptomo|first4=E. Wahyu|last5=Jatmiko|last6=Rokus Due Awe|last7=Baba|first7=Hisao|date=2015|title=Descriptions of the dental remains of ''Homo floresiensis''|journal=Anthropological Science|volume=123|issue=2|pages=129–145|doi=10.1537/ase.150501|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282740723|access-date=2024-06-20|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Brown_et_al_2004">{{cite journal|author=Brown, P.|display-authors=etal<!---|coauthors=Sutikna, T.; Morwood, M. J.; Soejono, R. P.; Jatmiko, Wayhu Saptomo, E.; Rokus Awe Due--->|date=27 October 2004|title=A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia|journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|pmid=15514638|volume=431|issue=7012|doi=10.1038/nature02999|pages=1055–1061|bibcode=2004Natur.431.1055B|s2cid=26441|url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/15287/files/PAL_E2586.pdf}}</ref><ref name="Morwood05">{{cite journal|author=Morwood, M. J.|display-authors=etal<!---|coauthors=Brown, P.; Jatmiko, Sutikna, T.; Wahyu Saptomo, E.; Westaway, K. E.; Rokus Awe Due; Roberts, R. G.; Maeda, T.; Wasisto, S.; Djubiantono, T.--->|date=13 October 2005|title=Further evidence for small-bodied hominins from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia|journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|volume=437|issue=7061|pages=1012–1017|bibcode=2005Natur.437.1012M|doi=10.1038/nature04022|pmid=16229067|s2cid=4302539}}</ref> and the dominant consensus is that these remains do represent a distinct species due to anatomical differences from modern humans.<ref name="Argue2017">{{cite journal|last1=Argue|first1=Debbie|last2=Groves|first2=Colin P.|date=21 April 2017|title=The affinities of Homo floresiensis based on phylogenetic analyses of cranial, dental, and postcranial characters|journal=Journal of Human Evolution|volume=107|pages=107–133|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.02.006|pmid=28438318|bibcode=2017JHumE.107..107A |doi-access=free}}</ref> The most recent evidence shows that ''Homo floresiensis'' likely became extinct 50,000 years ago, around the time of modern human arrival to the archipelago.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sutikna|first1=Thomas|last2=Tocheri|first2=Matthew W.|last3=Morwood|first3=Michael J.|last4=Saptomo|first4=E. Wahyu|last5=Jatmiko|last6=Awe|first6=Rokus Due|last7=Wasisto|first7=Sri|last8=Westaway|first8=Kira E.|last9=Aubert|first9=Maxime |last10=Li |first10=Bo|last11=Zhao|first11=Jian-xin|last12=Storey|first12=Michael|last13=Alloway|first13=Brent V.|last14=Morley|first14=Mike W.|last15=Meijer|first15=Hanneke J. M.|last16=van den Bergh|first16=Gerrit D.|last17=Grün|first17=Rainer|last18=Dosseto|first18=Anthony|last19=Brumm|first19=Adam |last20=Jungers |first20=William L.|last21=Roberts|first21=Richard G.|display-authors=3|year=2016|title=Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia|journal=Nature|volume=532|issue=7599|pages=366–369|bibcode=2016Natur.532..366S|doi=10.1038/nature17179|pmid=27027286|hdl=1885/109256|s2cid=4469009|url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/3778}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
Image:Homo Florensiensis-MGL 95216-P5030051-white.jpg|''H. floresiensis'' skull, [[Cantonal Museum of Geology]], Switzerland
Image:Homo floresiensis cave.jpg|[[Liang Bua]] Cave, where the specimens were discovered
</gallery>

===Modern history===
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Bewoner uit Ende op Flores staat klaar voor de jacht of de strijd TMnr 60028899.jpg|thumb|Indigenous warrior from [[Ende, Indonesia|Ende]], Flores, before 1938.]]

Flores was most likely first inhabited by [[Melanesians]] at least since 30,000 BC.

[[Kingdom of Portugal|Portuguese]] traders and missionaries came to Flores in the 16th century, mainly to [[Larantuka]] and [[Sikka Regency|Sikka]]. Their influence is still discernible in Sikka's language, culture, and religion. The first Portuguese visit took place in 1511, through the expedition of [[António de Abreu]] and his vice-captain [[Francisco Serrão]], en route through the Sunda islands.

The [[Dominican order]] played an important role on this island, as well as on the neighbouring islands of [[Timor]] and [[Solor]]. When the Dutch attacked the fortress of Solor in 1613, the population of the fort, led by the Dominicans, moved to the harbor town of [[Larantuka]] on the eastern coast of Flores. This population was mixed, of Portuguese and local islander descent and Larantuqueiros, [[Topasses]], or, as the Dutch knew them, the 'Black Portuguese' (Zwarte Portugezen).

The Larantuqueiros, also known as Topasses, became the dominant sandalwood trading people of the region for the next 200 years. This group was observed by [[William Dampier]], an English privateer visiting the Island in 1699:
{{blockquote|These [the Topasses] have no Forts, but depend on their Alliance with the Natives: And indeed they are already so mixt, that it is hard to distinguish whether they are Portuguese or Indians. Their Language is Portuguese; and the religion they have, is Romish. They seem in Words to acknowledge the King of Portugal for their Sovereign yet they will not accept any Officers sent by him. They speak indifferently the Malayan and their native Languages, as well as Portuguese.<ref name="fox2003">{{Cite book|last=Fox|first=James J.|date=2003|chapter=Tracing the path, recounting the past: historical perspectives on Timor|editor-last1=Fox|editor-first1=James J.|editor-last2=Soares|editor-first2=Dionisio Babo|title=Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor|publisher=ANU E Press|isbn=978-0-9751229-1-4|doi=10.22459/oa.11.2003.01|doi-access=free}}</ref>}}

In the western part of Flores, the [[Manggarai people|Manggarai]] came under the control of the [[Sultanate of Bima]], in eastern Sumbawa. The Dutch effectively established their administration over western Flores in 1907. In 1929, the Bimanese sultanate ceded any control over Manggarai.

In 1846, the Dutch and Portuguese initiated negotiations to delimit their territories, but these negotiations led nowhere. In 1851, Lima Lopes, the new governor of Timor, Solor, and Flores, agreed to sell eastern Flores and the nearby islands to the Dutch in return for a payment of 200,000 [[Dutch guilder|Florins]] to support his impoverished administration. Lima Lopes did so without the consent of Lisbon and was dismissed in disgrace; however, his agreement was not rescinded. In 1854, Portugal ceded all its historical claims on Flores. After this, Flores became part of the territory of the [[Dutch East Indies]].

During [[World War II]], Great Britain, the Netherlands East Indies, and the United States imposed on Japan an embargo on rubber and oil and froze Japan's overseas funds. This was a strong incentive for Japan to get hold of the prosperous colonies of South East Asia,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Webb|first1=Paul|date=March 1986|title="Too many to ignore...": Flores under the Japanese occupation 1942–1945|journal=Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society|volume=14|issue=1|pages=54–70|jstor=29791877}}</ref> and its Operation "S" targeted the Lesser Sunda Islands – including Flores. On 14 May 1942, [[Labuan Bajo]] was the theatre of an amphibious landing by the Japanese Army landing force, and a Japanese Navy Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) landed at Reo. Japan occupied Flores until the end of the [[Pacific War]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Flores Island (Pulau Flores), East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia|website=pacificwrecks.com|url=https://pacificwrecks.com/provinces/indonesia_flores.html|access-date=2024-06-07}}</ref>
During that time, the Japanese administration and forces saw Christians as suspected Dutch sympathizers. They were exceedingly heavy-handed towards them in general, but not so much on Flores, where Christians were treated notably less harshly than in the neighbouring islands of Timor and Sumba. Remarkably, in Flores, the European priests and nuns were neither interned nor evicted throughout the occupation. According to Paul Webb (1986), this is because Florenese Christians were "too many to ignore": nearly half the population of Flores was Catholic and the Japanese, who could not afford to increase the size of their small occupation forces on the island, allowed European priests and sisters to stay at their posts rather than risking a general rebellion.<ref name="webb_cited">{{harvnb|Webb|1986}}, cited in {{cite web|title=The influence of Catholicism on Flores island during WWII|website=kajomag.com|date=19 July 2021 |url=https://kajomag.com/the-influence-of-catholicism-on-flores-island-during-wwii/|access-date=2024-06-07}}</ref>{{efn|Webb recalls the Shimabara rebellion that took place near Nagasaki in 1637 and 1638, when 40,000 Catholics entrenched themselves into an old castle on the Shimabara peninsula and held out against 120,000 Japanese soldiers for about four months; they were all put to death after they had surrendered. According to Webb, the Japanese did not want a historical repeat of it. <br />
Nevertheless, this did not stop them from establishing military brothels staffed with hundreds of kidnapped young Indonesian women for their troops on the island, and treating the rest of the population and the prisoners of war as badly as they did elsewhere. See [[International Military Tribunal for the Far East]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The influence of Catholicism on Flores island during WWII|website=kajomag.com|date=19 July 2021 |url=https://kajomag.com/the-influence-of-catholicism-on-flores-island-during-wwii/|access-date=2024-06-07}}</ref>}}

After the war, Flores became part of independent [[Indonesia]].<ref name="fox2003"/>

[[1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami|On 12 December 1992, an earthquake]] measuring 7.8 on the [[Richter magnitude scale|Richter scale]] killed 2,500 people in and around Maumere, including islands off the north coast.

In 2017, two men were killed in Flores due to land disputes between warrior clans; the Mbehel, a [[West Manggarai Regency|West Manggarai]] [[Hill people|mountain tribe]], and the Rangko from [[Sulawesi]] island, who helped build [[Manggarai]] and were given land near [[Labuan Bajo]] by the Manggarai king.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/deadly-trouble-for-surf-pioneer-in-indonesias-new-paradise/news-story/690b0036a934168e92dc23498b455e74|title=Deadly trouble for surf pioneer in Indonesia's new paradise|date=28 January 2017|work=The Australian|access-date=17 October 2018}}</ref>

==Administration==
[[File:FloresFishingBoat.jpg|thumb|Some [[Fishing vessel|fishing boats]] on Flores]]

Flores is part of the [[East Nusa Tenggara]] province. The island along with smaller minor islands is split into eight [[Regency (Indonesia)|regencies]] (local government divisions); from west to east these are [[Manggarai Barat]] (West Manggarai),<ref>Manggarai Barat District includes islands like [[Komodo (island)|Komodo]] and [[Rinca]] to the west of Flores</ref> [[Manggarai Regency|Manggarai]] (Central Manggarai), [[East Manggarai Regency|Manggarai Timur]] (East Manggarai), [[Ngada]], [[Nagekeo]], [[Ende Regency|Ende]], [[Sikka Regency|Sikka]] and part of [[Flores Timur]] (East Flores).<ref>Flores Timur District includes islands like [[Adonara]] and [[Solor]] to the east of Flores, for which the figures are excluded.</ref> Flores has 35.24% of the East Nusa Tenggara provincial population {{As of|2023|lc=y}}, and is the largest of all islands in the province, with the second-largest population (Timor has slightly more people).

The eight [[kabupaten|regencies]] are listed below from east to west, with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census<ref name="Biro Pusat Statistik 2011">Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.</ref> and the 2020 Census,<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik 2021">Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.</ref> together with the official estimates as of mid-2024.<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik 2025"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-bottom: 0;"
! Kode <br />Wilayah|| Name of<br />City or<br />Regency !! Statute <br />(including year <br />when established) !! Area<br />in<br />km<sup>2</sup> !! Pop'n <br /> 2010 <br /> Census !! Pop'n <br /> 2020 <br />Census !! Pop'n <br /> mid 2024 <br />Estimate !! Capital !! [[Human Development Index|HDI]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ntt.bps.go.id/indicator/26/46/1/-metode-baru-indeks-pembangunan-manusia-ipm-menurut-kabupaten-kota.html|title=[New Method] Human Development Index by Regency/City 2020–2022|publisher=[[Statistics Indonesia]]|date=2022|language=id|access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref><br />2022 estimate
|-
| 53.06 || [[East Flores Regency]]<br />(Flores Timur) <br />(part of) <sup>(a)</sup>|| UU 69/1958 ||align="right"|1,056.49||align="right"|101,060||align="right"|116,398||align="right"|121,388|| [[Larantuka]] || 0.6493 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| 53.07 || [[Sikka Regency]]|| UU 69/1958 ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 1675.36}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 300328}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 321953}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 346614}} || [[Maumere]] || 0.6606 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| 53.08 || [[Ende Regency]]|| UU 69/1958 ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 2085.19}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 260605}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 270763}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 281371}} || [[Ende, Indonesia|Ende]] || 0.6797 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| 53.16 || [[Nagekeo Regency]]|| UU 2/2007 ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 1398.08}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 130120}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 159732}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 168355}} || [[Mbay (Indonesia)|Mbay]] || 0.6622 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| 53.09 || [[Ngada Regency]]|| UU 69/1958 ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 1736.83}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 142393}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 165254}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 174088}} || [[Bajawa]] || 0.6826 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| 53.19 || [[East Manggarai Regency]]<br /> (Manggarai Timur)|| UU 36/2007 ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 2391.45}} ||align="right"| {{formatnum: 252744}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 275603}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 296174}} || [[:id:Borong, Manggarai Timur|Borong]]|| 0.623 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| 53.10 || [[Manggarai Regency]]<br /> (Manggarai Tengah)|| UU 69/1958 ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 1343.83}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 292451}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 312855}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 349836}} || [[Ruteng]]|| 0.6583 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| 53.15 || [[West Manggarai Regency]] <sup>(b)</sup><br /> (Manggarai Barat)|| UU 8/2003 ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 3129.00}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 221703}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 256317}} ||align="right"|  {{formatnum: 276284}} || [[Labuan Bajo]] || 0.6492 ({{fontcolor|#fc0|Medium}})
|-
| || '''''Totals''''' || ||align="right"| ''{{formatnum: '''13759.74'''}}'' ||align="right"| ''{{formatnum: '''1701404'''}}'' ||align="right"| ''{{formatnum: '''1878875'''}}'' ||align="right"|  ''{{formatnum: '''2014110'''}}'' || ||
|}
Notes: (a) only the eight districts of this regency situated on Flores Island are included in these figures; the three districts comprising [[Solor|Solor Island]] and the eight districts on [[Adonara Island]] are excluded.<br/>(b) West Manggarai Regency includes [[Komodo (island)|Komodo]] and [[Rinca]] islands off the west coast of Flores; these islands are part of a National Park and thus poorly inhabited.

The main towns on Flores are [[Maumere]], [[Ende, East Nusa Tenggara|Ende]], [[Ruteng]], [[Larantuka]], and [[Bajawa]], listed with their populations as of mid-2023.<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik 2024">Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53)</ref>
* Ende, 87,723 inhabitants (sum of populations of four districts)
* Maumere, 77,909 inhabitants (excluding populations on offshore islands)
* Ruteng, 65,694 inhabitants<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik Ruteng 2024">Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, ''Kecamatan Langke Rembong Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53103110)</ref>
* Larantuka, 41,642 inhabitants<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik Larantuka 2024">Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, ''Kecamatan Larantuka Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5309030)</ref>
* Bajawa, 40,259 inhabitants

==Flora and fauna==
{{see also|Lesser Sundas deciduous forests|Komodo National Park}}
[[File:Komodo dragon at Komodo National Park.jpg|thumb|[[Komodo National Park]]]]

The [[Komodo dragon]] is endemic to Flores and surrounding islands and has been continuously present on Flores for at least 1.4 million years.<ref name=":0" /> Today, it is confined to a handful of small areas on Flores itself.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ariefiandy|first1=Achmad|last2=Purwandana|first2=Deni|last3=Azmi|first3=Muhammad|last4=Nasu|first4=Sanggar Abdil|last5=Mardani|first5=Juna|last6=Ciofi|first6=Claudio|last7=Jessop|first7=Tim S.|date=February 2021|title=Human activities associated with reduced Komodo dragon habitat use and range loss on Flores|url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10531-020-02100-8|journal=Biodiversity and Conservation|language=en|volume=30|issue=2|pages=461–479|doi=10.1007/s10531-020-02100-8|bibcode=2021BiCon..30..461A|s2cid=254279437|issn=0960-3115|url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''[[Varanus hooijeri]]'' is a smaller extinct species of [[monitor lizard]] which occurred on Flores into the Holocene.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brongersma |first=L. D. |date=1958 |title=On an extinct species of the genus ''Varanus'' (Reptilia, Sauria) from the island of Flores |journal=Zoologische Mededelingen |s2cid=86301714 |language=en}}</ref> 

The endemic fauna of Flores includes some rats (Murinae), some of which are now extinct, ranging from small-sized forms such as ''[[Rattus hainaldi]]'', ''[[Paulamys]]'', and the [[Polynesian rat]] (which possibly originated on the island), medium-sized such as ''[[Komodomys]]'', and ''[[Hooijeromys]]'', and giant such as ''[[Spelaeomys]]'' and ''[[Papagomys]],'' the largest species of which, the still-living ''[[Papagomys armandvillei]]'' (Flores giant rat) is approximately the size of a rabbit, with a weight of up to 2.5 kilograms.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Veatch|first1=E. Grace|last2=Tocheri|first2=Matthew W.|last3=Sutikna|first3=Thomas|last4=McGrath|first4=Kate|last5=Wahyu Saptomo|first5=E.|last6=Jatmiko|last7=Helgen|first7=Kristofer M.|date=May 2019|title=Temporal shifts in the distribution of murine rodent body size classes at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia) reveal new insights into the paleoecology of Homo floresiensis and associated fauna|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0047248418302239|journal=Journal of Human Evolution|language=en|volume=130|pages=45–60|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.02.002|pmid=31010543|bibcode=2019JHumE.130...45V |hdl=2440/121139|s2cid=91562355|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

Flores was also the habitat of several extinct dwarf forms of the proboscidean (elephant relative) ''[[Stegodon]]'', the most recent (''Stegodon florensis insularis'') of which disappeared approximately 50,000 years ago.<ref name=":0" /> The island before modern human arrival was also inhabited by the giant stork ''[[Leptoptilos robustus]]'' and the vulture ''[[Trigonoceps]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Meijer|first1=Hanneke J.M.|last2=Tocheri|first2=Matthew W.|last3=Due|first3=Rokus Awe|last4=Sutikna|first4=Thomas|last5=Saptomo|first5=E. Wahyu|last6=James|first6=Helen F.|display-authors=3|year=2015|title=Continental-style avian extinctions on an oceanic island|url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/26191/Meijer%20et%20al%202015%20Continental-style%20avian%20extinctions%20on%20an%20oceanic%20island.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology|volume=429|pages=163–170|doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.03.041|bibcode=2015PPP...429..163M|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015153112/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/26191/Meijer%20et%20al%202015%20Continental-style%20avian%20extinctions%20on%20an%20oceanic%20island.pdf|archive-date=2018-10-15|via=repository.si.edu}}</ref>

== Seismology ==
Flores Island is bounded by active tectonic regions, with the [[Sunda Trench]] to the south and the [[Flores back-arc thrust fault]] to the north. As a result, the island experiences many earthquakes each year and, on occasion, tsunamis. The largest recorded earthquake in the region was the [[1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami]], a magnitude 7.8 event that caused Severe shaking on the [[Modified Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] scale. The Flores back-arc thrust is of particular interest to researchers as it is believed to accommodate the transition between the Sunda Trench in the west and the subduction of the [[Australian plate]] in the east. The Flores [[Thrust fault|Thrust]] is approximately 450&nbsp;km long and consists of a deep-rooted basal fault and many overlying imbricate thrust faults. The system is highly active, with more than 25 earthquakes of a magnitude 6 or above since 1960. In 2018, a large sequence of earthquakes (such as on the [[5 August 2018 Lombok earthquake|5th of August]] and in [[July 2018 Lombok earthquake|July]]) in [[Lombok]] ruptured sections of the Flores Thrust. The dip of the main thrust fault of approximately 2–3° compared to the 3–4° dip of the subducting plate on the Sunda Trench leads some to believe that the fault could someday be the site of a [[subduction polarity reversal]] and begin subducting.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/gji/article/221/2/758/5757908|title=Did the Flores backarc thrust rupture offshore during the 2018 Lombok earthquake sequence in Indonesia?|author1=Xiaodong Yang|author2=Satish C Singh|author3=Anand Tripathi|date=25 February 2020|access-date=2024-02-12|journal=[[Geophysical Journal International]]|volume=221 |issue=2 |pages=758–768 |doi=10.1093/gji/ggaa018 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

A volcanic eruption in southeast Flores triggered earthquakes that killed at least 10 people as of 4 November 2024. Authorities warned of the possibility of more earthquakes in the coming days.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/world/asia/indonesia-volcano-eruption.html "At Least 10 Killed in Indonesia After Volcano Erupts"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', Nov. 4, 2024</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:LabuhanBajoChurch.JPG|thumb|Saint Angela Church in Labuan Bajo]]

=== Languages ===
Many languages are spoken on the island of Flores, all of them belonging to the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] family. In the west, [[Manggarai language|Manggarai]] is spoken; [[Riung language|Riung]], often classified as a dialect of Manggarai, is spoken in the north-central part of the island. In the centre of the island in the regencies of [[Ngada]], [[Nagekeo]], and [[Ende Regency|Ende]], there is what is variously called the [[Central Flores languages|Central Flores dialect chain or linkage]]. Within this area, there are slight [[linguistics|linguistic]] differences in almost every village. At least six separate languages are identifiable: from west to east, [[Ngadha]], [[Nage]], [[Keo language|Keo]], [[Ende language (Indonesia)|Ende]], [[Lio language|Lio]], and [[Palu'e language|Palu'e]] (which is spoken on the island with the same name off the north coast of Flores). Locals would probably also add [[So'a]] and [[Bajawa]] to this list, which anthropologists have labeled dialects of Ngadha. To the east, [[Sikka language|Sikka]] and [[Lamaholot language|Lamaholot]] can be found.

Djawanai (1983) precises that Ngadha somewhat deviates from Austronesian norms, in that words do not have clear [[cognate]]s and the grammatical processes are different;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Djawanai|first1=Stephanus|year=1983|title=Ngadha text tradition: the collective mind of the Ngadha people, Flores|type=''Materials in languages of Indonesia'', No.20|series=''Pacific Linguistics'', Series D (Special communications), No. 55|publisher=Australian National University|page=2|url=https://dspace-prod.anu.edu.au/server/api/core/bitstreams/25b86add-73dc-476a-89dd-783a6d426499/content}}</ref> for example, the Austronesian family of languages makes an abundant use of prefixes or suffixes (which form new words by adding extensions either before or after root-words, such as [per-]form or child[-hood]), whereas the Ngadha and Keo languages use no prefixes or suffixes.<ref>{{cite web|author=Peter ten Hoopen|title=Ikat from Ngadha, Indonesia|website=ikat.us|publisher=Online Museum of Indonesian ikat textiles, curator: Dr Peter Ten Hoopen |url=https://ikat.us/ikat_flores%20group_ngadha.php|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>

=== Social organisation ===

The traditional social structure is based on complex extended family ties, where patrilineal and matrilineal lineages coexist and determine a strict social hierarchy within villages.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Forth|first1=Gregory|date=2009b|title=Human beings and other people: Classification of human groups and categories among the Nage of Flores (eastern Indonesia)|journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde|volume=165|issue=4|pages=493–514|doi=10.1163/22134379-90003630|jstor=43817775|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Sudarmadi|first1=Tular|year=2014|title=Between colonial legacies and grassroots movements: exploring cultural heritage practice in the Ngadha and Manggarai Region of Flores|type=doctorate thesis in History, Art and Culture|location=University of Amsterdam|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/19884832.pdf}}</ref> It is similar to that in Lembata, [[East Nusa Tenggara]];{{sfn|Barnes|1996|loc=see Appendix I}} and is reflected in the spiderweb disposition of the rice fields around Cancar (16&nbsp;km west of Ruteng): started as a pie centered on the point where buffaloes are sacrificed, the allotments originally shaped as pie slices were later divided transversally by the heirs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spider Web Rice Fields, Ruteng|website=atlasobscura.com|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/spider-web-rice-fields|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cancar and rice fields, satellite view|website=google.com/maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir//C96H%2BJ66+Cancar,+Wae+Belang,+Kec.+Ruteng,+Kabupaten+Manggarai,+Nusa+Tenggara+Tim.,+Indon%C3%A9sie/@-8.5904209,120.3699112,3947m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x2db37737ca7a8261:0x4a0af5e723f63f56!2m2!1d120.3780143!2d-8.5884555?entry=ttu}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
[[File:Jesus Statue Maumere.jpg|thumb|Jesus statue in [[Maumere]]]]
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Flores (2023)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://e-database.kemendagri.go.id/dataset/1203/tabel-data?page=23|title=Religion in Indonesia}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Roman Catholic]]
|value1 = 83.56
|color1 = Purple
|label2 = [[Protestantism]]
|value2 = 1.17
|color2 = Blue
|label3 = [[Islam]]
|value3 = 15.21
|color3 = DarkGreen
|label4 = [[Hinduism]]
|value4 = 0.05
|color4 = DarkOrange
|label5 = [[Buddhism]]
|value5 = 0.01
|color5 = Yellow
|label6 = Others
|value6 = 0.00
|color6 = Red
}}

The native peoples of Flores are mostly [[Roman Catholic]] Christians, whereas most other Indonesians are [[Islam|Muslim]]. As a consequence, Flores may be regarded as surrounded by a [[geography of religion|religious border]]. The prominence of Catholicism on the island resulted from its [[the Portuguese in Indonesia|colonisation by Portugal]] in the east and early 20th-century support by the Dutch in the west.<ref>{{harvp|Steenbrink|2013}}</ref> In other parts of Indonesia with significant Christian populations, such as the [[Maluku Islands]] and [[Sulawesi]], the geographical divide is less rigid and Muslims and Christians sometimes live side by side. Flores thereby also has less [[Religion in Indonesia#Interfaith relations|religious violence]] than that which has sporadically occurred in other parts of Indonesia. There are several churches on the island. On 26 May 2019, Flores' St. Paul Catholic University of Indonesia was formally inaugurated by Indonesian Education Minister [[Mohamad Nasir]], becoming the first Catholic university in Flores.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dagur|first=Ryan|date=28 May 2019|title=Indonesia inaugurates first Catholic university in Flores|work=La Croix International|url=https://international.la-croix.com/news/indonesia-inaugurates-first-catholic-university-in-flores/10201}}</ref> Aside from Catholicism, Islam also has a presence on the island, especially in some coastal communities.

=== Totemism ===

[[Totem|Totemism]] is present, although anthropologists like [[Claude Lévi-Strauss|Lévi-Strauss]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lévi-Strauss|first1=Claude|author-link1=Claude Lévi-Strauss|year=1962|title=Le totémisme aujourd'hui|location=Paris|publisher=Presses Universitaires de France}} Cited in {{harvnb|Forth|2009a|p=263}}</ref> and historians like Robert Jones<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=Robert Alun|year=2005|title=The secret of the totem: Religion and society from McLennan to Freud|location=New York|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=0-231-13438-X}} Cited in {{harvnb|Forth|2009a|p=263}}</ref> have eschewed the term "totemism" as an imprecise and artificial category of cultural phenomena. {{harvp|Forth|2009a}}, focusing on the [[Nage people]] of central Flores, argues that totemism manifests itself as a tendency to link people and plants, not as a totalizing form of analogical classification as described by Lévi-Strauss.<ref name="forth264">{{cite journal|last1=Forth|first1=Gregory|date=2009a|title=Tree Totems and the Tamarind People: Implications of Clan Plant Taboos in Central Flores|journal=Oceania|volume=79|issue=3|pages=263–279 (see p. 264)|doi=10.1002/j.1834-4461.2009.tb00064.x|url=https://www.academia.edu/54351207|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> He notes that many clans (''woe'') in Flores are named after various trees and that these trees have become taboo (''pie''), such that they must not be burnt or used as fuel (''pie 'uge''). The Nage people bear the name of the tamarind tree,{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=263}} ''[[Tamarindus indica]]'', and thus avoid burning its wood.<ref name="forth264"/>

A few clans are not named after plants, but also have taboos on particular trees.{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=264}} For example, the Wa or Ana Wa people, whose name means "wind" or "wind people, children",{{efn|"''Ana wa''" is also the word for "animal", but this is not related to the clan's name.{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=267}} }} claim the nage or tamarind tree as taboo;{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=267}} the Dhuge people bear the name of a former village and taboo the zita tree (''[[Alstonia scholaris]]''); so do the Saga 'Enge people, whose name origin is not known.{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=268}}{{efn|Some tribe names are related to particular traditions and beliefs, for example the Sodha or Naka Sodha people: ''sodha'' is "a kind of song, singing", and ''naka'' is "to steal"; this refers to a ritual task whereby a designated man should "steal" a portion of cooked meat and rice before it is served at feasts, an act thought to ensure that the supply will be sufficient.{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=268}} }}

The Nage people have plant totems but no animal totems—and, therefore, no taboo on killing and eating any animal.{{sfn|Forth|2009a|p=264}} In contrast, their neighbours to the west, the Ngadha people, have 14 animal taboos and 16 plant taboos.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Arndt|first1=Paul|year=1954|title=Gesellschaftliche Verhältnisse der Ngadha|series=''Studia Instituti Anthropos'' 8|location=Wien-Mödling|publisher=Missionsdruckerei St. Gabriel}} Cited in {{harvnb|Forth|2009a|p=265}}. <br />
This is not the archaeologist and art dealer [[Paul Arndt]] (1865–1937). The author, a missionary-ethnologist, lived among the Ngadha people from 1923 until he died in 1962. See {{cite web|author=Peter ten Hoopen|title=Ikat from Ngadha, Indonesia|website=ikat.us|publisher=Online Museum of Indonesian ikat textiles, curator: Dr Peter Ten Hoopen |url=https://ikat.us/ikat_flores%20group_ngadha.php|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>

=== Textiles ===
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Vrouwen van de Ngadastam met spinstaafjes weeftoestel en spinnewiel TMnr 10006048.jpg|thumb|Ngada women with spinning rods, loom and spinning wheel.]]

Weaving on Flores utilizes cotton grown in the low-lying areas of the island.<ref name="hoopn_ikat">{{cite web|author=Peter ten Hoopen|title=Ikat from Ngadha, Indonesia|website=ikat.us|publisher=Online Museum of Indonesian ikat textiles, curator: Dr Peter Ten Hoopen |url=https://ikat.us/ikat_flores%20group_ngadha.php|access-date=2024-06-08|ref={{SfnRef|Hoopen|, ''ikat.us''}}}}</ref>
Each ethnic group on Flores has its own tradition of dyeing, weaving, and trading in textiles.{{sfn|Hamilton|1994}}

==== Dyes ====

The dyes used are essentially [[Indigo dye|indigo]], [[turmeric]]{{efn|
[[Turmeric]]: ''wuné'' in [[Ngadha language]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kikusawa|first1=Ritsuko|last2=Reid|first2=Lawrence A.|date=January 2007|chapter=25. Proto who utilized turmeric, and how?|editor-last1=Siegel|editor-first1=Jeff|editor-last2=Lynch|editor-first2=John|editor-last3=Eades|editor-first3=Diana|title=Language Description, History and Development: Linguistic indulgence in memory of Terry Crowley|series=Creole Language Library 30|pages=341–354 (see p. 343)|url=http://www2.hawaii.edu/~reid/Combined%20Files/A67.%202007.%20Kikusawa%20and%20Reid--Turmeric..pdf}}</ref>
}} and morinda.{{sfn|Hamilton|1994}} [[Lamaholot people]] use maize starch to size the yarn before dying.{{sfn|Barnes|1989|p=15}}

; Blue (indigo)

[[indigo]] grows in the temperate zones at middle elevations;<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/>
It is the most commonly used plant base for blues and black dyes. Bar a few exceptions, it is always used in ikat.{{sfn|Barnes|1989|p=15}}

; Red (morinda and others)

''[[Morinda citrifolia]]'' (''mengkudu'',<ref name="texttrip">{{cite web|title=Flores ikat – its all about the villages|website=asiatextilejourney.wordpress.com|date=December 2015|url=https://asiatextilejourney.wordpress.com/tag/ende/|access-date=2024-06-20}}</ref> ''keloré'' in [[Lamalera language|Lamalera]]{{sfn|Barnes|1989|p=28}}), extensively used in the archipelago as a source of red dye, does not grow well on Flores and, according to Hoopen, is scarcely used here.<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/> But its use is reported in N'Dona (just east of Ende), where it is mixed with various [[mordant]]s including [[Aleurites moluccanus|candlenut]] (''kemiri'', very oily nut).<ref name="texttrip"/> Barnes also reports its use in the villages of Ili Mandiri, East Flores<ref name="barnes31">{{cite book|last1=Barnes|first1=Ruth|year=1989|title=Ikat Textiles of Lamalera: A Study of an Eastern Indonesian Weaving Tradition|type=Studies in South Asian culture, vol. XIV|publisher=E.J. Brill|page=31|isbn=90-04-08753-2|issn=0169-9865|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zt77EAAAQBAJ&dq=what+is+%22kajo+kuma%22&pg=PA31}}</ref> – and describes at length the arduous process for its preparation and application.{{sfn|Barnes|1989|p=28}} Close by, weavers from the village of Larantuka may use the tree called ''gemoli'' for red dye.<ref name="barnes31"/>

Powdered leaves of a plant (tree?) called "lobah" are used in N'Dona (east of Ende) to obtain bright reds.<ref name="texttrip"/>

; Yellow (turmeric, mango, and others)

Yellow translates as ''kuma''.<ref name="barnes31"/>
In the [[Sikka Regency|Sikka area]], [[turmeric]] was used for producing yellow monochrome warp stripes, as well as orange or green stripes by overdyeing with either morinda or indigo; sometimes, mango bark was used for that purpose.<ref name="yellow">{{cite web|title=Yellow dyes|website=asiantextilestudies.com|url=http://www.asiantextilestudies.com/yellow.html|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> <br />
At Doka<ref name="dokamap">{{cite web|title=Doka (Bola district), map|website=google.com/maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sanggar+Doka+Tawa+Tana+-+Desa+Wisata+Umauta/@-8.7127642,122.307397,16.04z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x2dad2190b9d59f9f:0xa85b3c83f6076567!2sBola,+Kabupaten+de+Sikka,+Nusa+Tenggara+oriental,+Indon%C3%A9sie!3b1!8m2!3d-8.744265!4d122.2997081!16s%2Fg%2F121ln153!3m5!1s0x2dad210d99bd461d:0xf4ab010632bf67c5!8m2!3d-8.7143687!4d122.3092659!16s%2Fg%2F11fwdv8xln?entry=ttu}}</ref> 
in the 'Iwang Geté or Krowé{{efn|name="krowe"|
Iwangeté or Iwang Geté is a small region in [[Sikka Regency|Sikka regency]] that encompasses the villages of 
Watublapi (Hewokloang district),<ref>{{cite web|title=Watublapi (Hewokloang district), map, with Héwokloang to the west|website=google.com/maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sanggar+Budaya+Tenun+Bliran+Sina+-+Watublapi/@-8.7007277,122.3106116,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x2dad1f9b22619e13:0xc81deaff7fbe7d22!8m2!3d-8.700733!4d122.3131865!16s%2Fg%2F11f0kwrr9t?entry=ttu}}</ref> 
Héwokloang, 
Kloangpopot (Doreng district),<ref>{{cite web|title=Klo'angpopot, Doreng district, Sikka regency|website=m.nomor.net|url=https://m.nomor.net/_kodepos.php?_i=desa-kodepos&sby=010000&BK_HP=Laptop&_en=ENGLISH&daerah=Desa-Doreng-Kab.-Sikka&jobs=Kloangpopot|access-date=2024-06-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kloangpopot (Doreng district), map|website=google.com/maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kloangpopot/@-8.712828,122.352609,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x2dad21c34d6ff0f3:0x59502f201439b4e2!8m2!3d-8.7128333!4d122.3551839!16s%2Fg%2F11p_0cvsjg?entry=ttu}}</ref> 
Hale (Mapitara district),
Hebingare,<ref name="krowe">{{cite web|title=Ikat from Krowe, Indonesia|website=ikat.us|publisher=Pusaka Collection, Online Museum of Indonesian ikat textiles|url=https://ikat.us/ikat_flores%20group_krowe.php|access-date=2024-06-09}}</ref> and
Doka (Bola district<ref name="dokamap"/>).<ref name="yellow"/>
Krowe is another name for this area, although neither name is quite accurate.<ref name="krowe"/>
}} region, a more durable deep mustard yellow is produced from turmeric, [[Mangifera indica|mango]] bark, ''[[Morinda citrifolia]]'' (''mengkudu'') tree [[Bark (botany)|bark]] (not root), [[jackfruit]] bark and powdered [[Lime (material)|lime]] (''kapur sireh''). Dyers of that region also mix turmeric with mango bark.{{efn|Textiles from [[Palu'e|Palu'é island]] have narrow yellow-orange warp stripes dyed with a mixture of [[turmeric]], [[Betel|betel pepper]], [[areca nut]] and [[Lime (material)|lime]].<ref name="yellow"/>}}<ref name="yellow"/> Another yellow was obtained from a combination of mango bark and morinda, without the addition of oil or loba.{{efn|The combination of mango bark and morinda, without oil or loba, was used in Flores and in Solor.<ref name="yellow"/>}}<ref name="yellow"/> <br />
At Ile Mandiri (East Flores regency) and Loba Tobi{{efn|name=lewotobi|
Loba Tobi or Lewotobi are common names for the district of Ilé Bura; ''tobi'' is the local Lamaholot name for the tamarind tree.<ref name="lewo">{{cite web|title=Lewotobi textiles|website=asiantextilestudies.com|url=http://www.asiantextilestudies.com/lewotobi.html|access-date=2024-06-09}}</ref>
}} 
A beautiful yellow dye was obtained by boiling the wood chips of the 'yellowwood' tree, known locally as ''kajo kuma''.<ref name="yellow"/> <br />
[[Manggarai people|Manggarai]] used to export ''Arcangelisia flava'' (''kayu kuning''<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Setyowati|first1=Rini|last2=Sudarsono|last3=Setyowati|first3=E. P|date=2014|title=The effect of water-soluble stem extract "Kayu Kuning" (''Arcangelisia flava'' L. Merr) on the growth inhibition of ''Candida albicans'' ATCC 10231 and ''Trichophyton mentagrophytes'' in vitro|journal=Biology, Medicine, & Natural Product Chemistry|volume=3|issue=1|pages=15–19|doi=10.14421/biomedich.2014.31.15-19|issn=2089-6514|url=https://www.sciencebiology.org/index.php/BIOMEDICH/article/download/13/2|access-date=2024-06-09|doi-access=free}}</ref>) to Java for the yellows in batik.<ref name="yellow"/>
Another export (from Flores and [[Adonara]]) in the same domain was a hardwood tree called ''kajo kuma'', literally 'yellow wood', which gives a yellow dye.<ref name="yellow"/> In the 1980s, it was still brought to Lembata for that purpose.{{efn|The dye from ''kajo kuma'' was obtained by soaking fine wood chips in cold water without the addition of lime. Several immersions were required to produce the right shade. It is not clear whether this ''kajo kuma'' was ''laban'' or some other dyewood.<ref name="yellow"/>}}<ref name="barnes31"/> <br />
''[[Vitex pinnata|laban]]'' as a dye is hardly used any longer in the Lesser Sunda Islands.<ref name="yellow"/>

; Green colour

In some regions of Flores, such as East Flores and Ende, green is hardly found in any textile.<ref name="green"/> Green warp stripes are most likely to be found in textiles produced in the area of Sikka Natar, and from [[Lamalera language|Lamalera]] on [[Lembata|Lembata island]].<ref name="green"/> <br />
It is produced almost exclusively by applying alternatively blue and yellow dyes, but in [[Lamalera language|Lamalera]] region it is obtained by crushing leaves and using the green juice thus produced{{sfn|Barnes|1989|p=15}} – notably from ''[[Annona squamosa]]'' (''dolima'').<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barnes|first1=Robert Harrison|year=1996|title=Sea Hunters of Indonesia: Fishers and Weavers of Lamalera|location=Oxford|publisher=Clarendon Press|page=368|isbn=978-0-19-828070-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4TR6q_hPM18C&dq=tree+%22gemoli%22+-bolgheri+-guado&pg=PA368}}</ref> <br />
At Nita Kloang in the region of Krowé{{efn|name="krowe"}} (Sikka regency), a green dye is made from the edible leaves of the Indian Coral tree (''dadap''), which may include such species as ''Erythrina variegata'', ''[[Erythrina subumbrans|E. subumbrans]]'', ''E. indica'' and ''[[Erythrina fusca|E. fuspa]]''). The tree is used as a shade plant for cocoa and coffee plants. For the dye, the leaves are crushed with turmeric root and powdered [[Lime (material)|lime]].<ref name="green"/>

; Synthetic dyes

The earliest [[Aniline#Uses|aniline dyes]] may have reached Indonesia in the 1880s, and brought to Flores by the Dutch steamers that serviced [[Ende (town)|Ende]] and [[Larantuka]].<ref name="green"/> Up to the 1920s, they were likely only blue, red and magenta rather than green.{{efn|In 1923, almost two-thirds of the 672 tons of aniline dyes imported into the Netherlands East Indies consisted of synthetic indigo. The remaining synthetic dyes would have been mostly purple, red, orange, and yellow. Even today, the number of homogeneous green dyes and pigments remains significantly less than that of any other major colour.<ref name="green"/>}}<ref name="green"/> <br />
It is impossible to say how quickly synthetic greens were incorporated into the weavings of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Any green that was included in early weavings from around the turn of the century is likely to have faded to blue or brown by now (Brackman 2009, 61). Indeed, by the 1950s and 1960s, more modern lightfast synthetic greens were being used in the stripes in the Sikkanese sarongs. They continue to be used in this way today without undermining the region's traditional textile culture.<ref name="green"/>
As of 2016, most areas of Flores still retain a degree of their former textile culture{{efn|Other areas that have retained a degree of their former textile culture are [[Lembata]], [[Savu]] and [[East Sumba Regency|East Sumba]].<ref name="green"/>}} and still use synthetic green only sparingly, compared to other places that are losing or have lost their textile culture, such as Manggarai and Ngada.{{efn|Other regions that are in the process of losing or have already lost their textile culture are [[Bali]], [[Sumbawa]], [[Solor]], [[Adonara]], [[Alor Island|Alor]], [[Rote Island|Roti]] and [[West Sumba Regency|West Sumba]].<ref name="green"/>}}<ref name="green"/> In Sikka, it seems that chemical green has been frequently used since at least the 1960s and probably earlier.<ref name="green">{{cite web|title=Green dyes|website=asiantextilestudies.com|date=2016|url=http://www.asiantextilestudies.com/green.html#i|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>

==== Textile particularities of some areas ====

; Ilé Bura region

In the past, the whole Ilé Bura{{efn|name=lewotobi}} region was a major centre of weaving, which was an important contribution to family income. As of 2016, weaving is confined to just three villages – Lewo Tobi,{{efn|name=lewotobi}} Lewouran, and Riang Baring, the latter being the most active.<ref name="lewo"/>

; Iwang Geté region

People of the Iwan geté{{efn|name="krowe"}} region produce a very distinctive ikat cloth: the widest bands (called ''ina geté'') bear such motifs as lizard (''teké''), a circular motif seen on some antique plates (''pigan uben''), spinning wheel (''jata selér''), and pineapple flower (''petan puhun'').<ref name="krowe"/>

; Ngadha region

Traditionally, in the Ngadha region, everyday clothing consists of a plain, stark indigo sarong. However, there is also a type of ikat, often referred to as Bajawa ikat after its capital, that features primitive-style designs and is made with only indigo dye. One characteristic of this ikat is the very intense blue, which is unique to this piece and nowhere else in the archipelago; this color comes from the high concentration of indigo achieved through prolonged and repeated steepings of the cloth in the tincture. It also means that the motifs, made by ties on the warp, should have come out white but are more often of a very pale blue because the pigment bath has had time to seep into the yarn beyond the resist of the ties.<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/> <br />
Another characteristic of Ngadha ikat is its motifs. Horses (''jara'') are a frequent one, as they are a sign of high social rank; this ties up with the fact that decorated cloths were traditionally worn only by respected clan members.{{efn|In the Ngadha region, tradition required that younger people would wear only plain or nearly plain cloths. However, advancing in age was not sufficient to be allowed more prestigious, adorned clothes; one also had to undergo various levels of initiation and arrange for grand feasts, notably those where buffalo would be slaughtered. Only members of the upper strata of society could afford those, and ikat adorned with narrow bands of horses was a marker of that aristocratic status.<ref>{{harvp|Hamilton|1994}}, cited in {{harvnb|Hoopen|, ''ikat.us''}}.</ref> These days, this is no longer a traditional law. Still, in some communities, there remains a sense that only people of high social standing should wear these prestigious garments, even if there is a reluctance to discuss such class distinctions.<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/>
}} The particularity here is that they are executed as stick figures, by which they resemble some prehistoric cave drawings. This gives them a strikingly 'primitive' appearance and makes them highly sought-after items.{{efn|The Ngadha, and the Manggarai to the west, have long had a legend about 'little people' who lived among them till as late as the 1500s. Add to this their primitive, cave-drawing-like images on Ngadha ikats, and that the [[Ngadha language|Ngadha]] and Keo languages are curiously 'nude' versions of [[Malay language|Malay]], as if encountering difficulties in assimilating their full complexity. For example, the Austronesian family of languages makes abundant use of prefixes or suffixes (which form new words by adding extensions either before or after root words, such as [per-]form or child[-hood]). In contrast, the Ngadha language uses no prefixes or suffixes. This has led linguist [[John McWhorter]] to speculate that maybe these two rudimentary languages came into being through contact with the 'little people' of Flores, ''[[Homo floresiensis]]''.<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=McWhorter|first1=John Hamilton|author-link1=John McWhorter|title=Flores Man vs. Sulawesi. A linguistic mystery in the Lesser Sunda Islands|format=audio|date=April 30, 2019|website=slate.com|series=Lexicon Valley|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/04/john-mcwhorter-on-the-languages-of-flores-in-indonesia.html|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=McWhorter|first1=John Hamilton|author-link1=John McWhorter|date=October 2019|title=The radically isolating languages of Flores: A challenge to diachronic theory|journal=Journal of Historical Linguistics|volume=9|issue=2|pages=177–207|doi=10.1075/jhl.16021.mcw|url=https://www.academia.edu/26566146|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref>}}<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/> <br />
Most of the ikat on Flores is produced in villages located in the temperate, middle elevation zones, where indigo can be cultivated. The best known are Jerebuu<ref>
{{cite web|title=Jerebuu village and district, map|website=google.fr/maps|type=scroll back to see the limits of Jerebuu district|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Jerebuu,+Kabupaten+de+Ngada,+Nusa+Tenggara+oriental,+Indon%C3%A9sie/@-8.8977226,120.9964015,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x2db2dc0a59e6c4b5:0x39c158f74ac29cdb!8m2!3d-8.8964289!4d120.9972433!16s%2Fg%2F1213jbmw?entry=ttu}}
</ref> and Langa, in a valley on the east side of the [[Inierie]] volcano, and Lopijo and Toni, tucked behind the rim of mountains that surround [[Bajawa]], north of the same volcano. The latter are still very isolated and conservative, still using indigenous cotton and indigo only. The clothes from these localities are admired throughout the Ngadha region – and nowadays in New York and Singapore as well.<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/>

==Tourism==
The most famous tourist attraction in Flores is the {{convert|1639|m|ft|adj=mid|abbr=off|-high}} [[Kelimutu]] volcano, which contains three colored lakes, located in the district of Ende, close to the town of [[Moni]]. However, there is also the [[Inierie]] volcano near [[Bajawa]]. These [[volcanic crater lake|crater lakes]] are located in the caldera of a volcano and are fed by a volcanic gas source, resulting in highly acidic water. The colored lakes change colors on an irregular basis, depending on the oxidation state of the lake<ref>Pasternack. [http://pasternack.ucdavis.edu/kelimutu.htm Keli Mutu Volcanic Lakes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202044547/http://pasternack.ucdavis.edu/kelimutu.htm |date=2 February 2017 }}, University of California Davis.</ref> from bright red to green and blue.

There are [[snorkelling|snorkeling]] and [[Underwater diving|diving]] locations along the north coast of Flores, most notably [[Maumere]] and [[Riung]]. However, due to the destructive practice of local fishermen using bombs to fish, and locals selling shells to tourists, combined with the after-effects of a devastating tsunami in 1992, the reefs have slowly been destroyed.

[[Labuan Bajo]], located on the western tip, is often used by tourists as a base to visit [[Komodo (island)|Komodo]] and [[Rinca]] islands. Labuan Bajo also attracts scuba divers, as [[whale sharks]] inhabit the waters around Labuan Bajo.

The Luba and Bena villages in Flores feature traditional houses. Bena is also noted for its Stone Age [[megalith]]s.

[[Larantuka]], on the isle's eastern end, is known for its [[Holy Week]] festivals.

In recent years, local tourist firms around [[Kelimutu]] have begun promoting cycling tours around Flores, some of which take up to five or six days, depending on the particular program.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Makur|first=Markus|url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/03/13/bicycle-tours-kelimutu-boost-local-economy.html|title=Bicycle tours of Kelimutu boost local economy|date=13 March 2016|work=The Jakarta Post}}</ref>

==Economy==
In addition to tourism, the main economic activities on Flores are agriculture, fishing, and seaweed production. The primary food crops being grown on Flores are [[rice]], [[maize]], [[sweet potato]] and [[cassava]], while the main cash crops are [[coffee]], [[coconut]], [[candle nut]] and [[cashew]].<ref>[http://www.kadin-indonesia.or.id/en/doc/reg_info/reg_info_EastNusaTenggara.pdf East Nusa Tenggara] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910061500/http://www.kadin-indonesia.or.id/en/doc/reg_info/reg_info_EastNusaTenggara.pdf |date=10 September 2008 }}, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved 8 August 2008.</ref> Flores is one of the newest origins for [[Indonesian coffee]]. Previously, most Arabica coffee (''[[Coffea arabica]]'') from Flores was blended with other origins. Now, demand is growing for this coffee due to its rich body and sweet, chocolatey, floral, and woody notes.<ref>[http://www.sca-indo.org/arabica-regions/index.cfm?rid=5 Arabica Producing Regions of Indonesia], Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia. Retrieved 8 August 2008.</ref>

In the 1980s, cotton crops were encouraged to generate income for the poorer subsistence farmers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Keefer|first1=G.D.|last2=Ladewig|first2=J.|last3=Diarini|first3=P.|date=1989|title=Cotton yield predictions for Lombok and Flores – Indonesia|website=agronomyaustraliaproceedings.org|series=Australian Agronomy Conference (1989)|url=http://agronomyaustraliaproceedings.org/images/sampledata/1989/contributed/crop/p1-45.pdf|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> It is planted in low-lying areas of the island.<ref name="hoopn_ikat"/>

[[Jackfruit]], which occurs throughout the Indonesian archipelago – and elsewhere -, is specifically cultivated in [[Manggarai Regency|Manggarai]] and [[Sikka Regency|Sikka]] regencies, and probably in every other regency.<ref name="yellow"/>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
SundaIslands.A2003242.0225.500m.jpg|The Lesser Sunda Islands with Flores in the upper right
Flores Moni Kelimutu.jpg|[[Kelimutu]]
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Ruines van een Portugees fort uit de 16e eeuw op Poelau Ende Midden-Flores TMnr 10001790.jpg|Ruins of a Portuguese fort, dating from the 16th century near [[Ende, Indonesia|Ende]].
Ngada megalith.jpg|An ancient [[Ngada]] megalith
BilanSina1.jpg|Dancers in Watublapi
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Man met hoofddoek en borstsieraden van een kampong te Flores TMnr 10005924.jpg|Villager with a headdress and chest ornamentation
</gallery>

== Transport ==
There are at least six airports in Flores distributed along the island, ordered from west to east:
* [[Komodo Airport]] in [[Labuan Bajo]]
* [[Frans Sales Lega Airport]] or [[Ruteng]] airport
* [[Pahdamaleda Airport]] or [[Bajawa]] airport
* [[Turelelo Soa Airport]] in Bajawa
* [[H. Hasan Aroeboesman Airport]] or [[Ende, East Nusa Tenggara|Ende]] airport
* [[Frans Xavier Seda Airport]] or [[Maumere]] airport
* [[Gewayantana Airport]] close to [[Larantuka]] city.

==See also==
{{Portal|Indonesia|Islands}}
* [[Dutch colonial empire]]
* [[Flores Island (Azores)|Flores (Azores)]]
* ''[[Homo floresiensis]]''
* [[Kingdom of Larantuka]]
* [[Manggarai people]]
* [[Maunura]]
* [[Nage people]]
* [[Portuguese Empire]]
* [[Simon Milward]]
* [[Theodorus Verhoeven]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Hamilton|first1=Roy W.|year=1994|title=Gift of the Cotton Maiden: Textiles of Flores and the Solor Islands|location=Los Angeles|publisher=Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA|isbn=978-0-930741-38-9|url=https://www.trc-leiden.nl/trc/index.php/en/inspiration/intensive-textile-course?id=877}}
* {{cite web|first=Klemen|last=L|date=1999–2000|title=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942|url=https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726053035/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/index.html|archive-date=26 July 2011}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Rappoport|first1=Dana|date=2010|title=L'énigme des duos alternés à Flores et Solor (Lamaholot, Indonésie)|journal=Archipel|volume=79|language=fr|issue=79|pages=215–256|doi=10.3406/arch.2010.4167|url=https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01411781/document|access-date=2024-06-17}}
* {{cite book|last1=Schröter|first1=Susanne|year=2010|chapter=The Indigenization of Catholicism on Flores|chapter-format=PDF|title=Christianity in Indonesia|type=''Southeast Asian modernities'', vol. 12|location=Berlin / Münster|publisher=Lit|pages=90–105|chapter-url=https://d-nb.info/1185448071/34|isbn=978-3-643-10798-5}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Steenbrink|first=Karel|date=2013|title=Dutch Colonial Containment of Islam in Manggarai, West-Flores, in Favour of Catholicism, 1907–1942|journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde|volume=169|issue=1|pages=104–128|doi=10.1163/22134379-12340024|doi-access=free}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Flores (Indonesia)}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Flores, Indonesia}}
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Flores (1.) |volume= IX | page=337 |short=1}}
*[http://www.flores-komodo.com/flores_history.html Flores & Komodo – History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324051745/http://www.flores-komodo.com/flores_history.html |date=24 March 2010 }}

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[[Category:Lesser Sunda Islands]]
[[Category:Landforms of East Nusa Tenggara]]
[[Category:Flores Island (Indonesia)| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Komodo National Park]]
[[Category:Portuguese colonialism in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Islands of Indonesia]]
[[Category:Inner Banda Arc]]
[[Category:Populated places in Indonesia]]