Flores

Flores Island, Indonesia
Pulau Flores

Topography of Flores
Geography
Location	South East Asia
Coordinates	8°40′29″S 121°23′04″E / 8.67472°S 121.38444°E / -8.67472; 121.38444Coordinates: 8°40′29″S 121°23′04″E / 8.67472°S 121.38444°E / -8.67472; 121.38444
Archipelago	Lesser Sunda Islands
Area	13,540 km2 (5,230 sq mi)
Area rank	60th
Length	354 km (220 mi)
Width	66 km (41 mi)
Highest elevation	2,370 m (7,780 ft)
Highest point	Poco Mandasawu
Administration
Indonesia
Province	East Nusa Tenggara
Largest settlement	Maumere (pop. 70,000)
Demographics
Population	1,831,000 (2010)
Pop. density	135 /km2 (350 /sq mi)

Flores (Indonesian: Pulau Flores) is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. The population was 1,831,000 in the 2010 census and the largest town is Maumere. The name Flores is derived from the Portuguese for "flowers".

Flores is located east of Sumbawa and Komodo and west of Lembata 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 10th biggest island of Indonesia.

Unlike most islands in the Indonesian archipelago, the name Flores was given by the Portuguese, from Cabo de Flores (Cape of Flowers), the Portuguese term for the eastern part of the island. This part of the island, originally called Kopondai, was so named by the Portuguese because of the flowering Delonix regia trees found there. The original name of Flores was Nipa, referring to the serpent.

Portuguese traders and missionaries came to Flores in the 16th century, mainly to Larantuka and 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.