Krakatau made this land heard<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): What comes to mind when Lampung is mentioned?
\nLampung coffee? Rubber? Shrimp farm? Bakauheni ferry port? The
\ngiant Bakrie group?<\/p>\n
None of the above?<\/p>\n
For outsiders, especially foreigners, the first things that
\ncome to mind about this province are probably: the 1883 Krakatau
\neruption and the elephant training school in Way Kambas National
\nPark.<\/p>\n
At Way Kambas, a one-and-a-half-hour drive from the capital,
\nBandar Lampung, visitors are entertained by trained elephants,
\nwhich were once considered pests by the local sugarcane planters.
\nThese pachyderms amuse visitors by playing football, doing the
\npopular jaipongan and dangdut dances or walking over daring
\nvisitors lying on the ground.<\/p>\n
Most tourists and vulcanologists, however, might find the
\nmysterious Krakatau volcano more fascinating. The Krakatau
\nvolcano which was 813 meters high is well-known for its huge
\neruption on August 27, 1883.<\/p>\n
The book Krakatau 1883, The Volcanic Eruption and Its Effects
\ndescribes the eruption and its aftermath, based on information
\nwritten on scraps of paper, books and telegrams (there were no
\ntelephones at that time), as follows:<\/p>\n
* at least 36,417 people were killed, mostly by giant tidal
\nwaves, and 165 coastal villages were destroyed.<\/p>\n
* the tremendous explosion was heard on Rodriguez Island, 4,653
\nkilometers across the Indian Ocean, and over 1\/13th of the
\nearth's surface,<\/p>\n
* ash from the Krakatau eruption fell on Singapore (840 kms to
\nthe north), Cocos Island (1,155 kms to the southwest), and ships
\nas far as 6,076 kms to the western northwest.<\/p>\n
* darkness covered Sunda Straits from 10 a.m. on the day the
\nvolcano erupted until dawn the next day,<\/p>\n
* giant tidal waves, reaching heights of 40 meters above sea
\nlevel, devastated everything in their path and hurled ashore 600
\ntons of coral blocks.<\/p>\n
* blue and green suns were observed as fine ash and aerosol, shot
\nperhaps 50 kms into the stratosphere, circled the equator for 13
\ndays,<\/p>\n
* three months after the eruption, the ash and aerosol had spread
\nto higher latitudes causing such vivid red sunset afterglows that
\nfire engines were called out in several places, like New York, to
\nquench the apparent conflagration. The unusual sunsets continued
\nfor three years.<\/p>\n
* global temperatures went down as much as 1\/2 degrees Celsius in
\nthe year after the eruption. And temperatures did not return to
\nnormal until 1888!<\/p>\n
The waves, for example, reached Aden in 12 hours, a distance
\nof 3,800 nautical miles. As a comparison, top class steamers at
\nthe time needed 12 days to traverse the same distance!<\/p>\n
When the eruption ended, only 1\/3 of Krakatau (it was five kms
\nby nine kms before the eruption), remained above sea level, and
\nnew islands of steaming pumice and ash emerged to the north where
\nthe sea had been 36 m deep.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the telegraph system and the location of Krakatau in
\nthe middle of the Sunda Straits, the narrow passage through which
\nmuch of the world's maritime traffic was funneled at that time,
\nthe news of the eruption spread quickly and accounts, mostly by
\nsailors, soon appeared in newspapers around the world.<\/p>\n
In its Sept. 8, 1883 edition, The Illustrated London News ran
\nthree sketches on its front page illustrating the Krakatau before
\nand after the devastating eruption.<\/p>\n
On that fateful day of August 27, 1883, a telegram, which was
\nsent to Singapore from Batavia (now Jakarta), read: "During night
\nterrific detonations from Krakatau audible as far as Soerakarta
\n(now Surakarta in Central Java), -- ashes falling as Cheribon
\n(now Cirebon in West Java) -- flashed plainly visible from here."<\/p>\n
Another telegram sent to Singapore read: "Serang in total
\ndarkness all morning -- stones falling. Village near Anjer (now
\nAnyer) washed away."<\/p>\n
More than a century later, the Krakatau is still Lampung's
\nmost powerful tourist attraction.<\/p>\n
"The volcano's fame has spread around the world and become
\nLampung's trademark," Wirdati Ali, head of Lampung Tourism
\nAgency, said.<\/p>\n
The majestic volcano is also unique because it is located in
\nthe middle of a sea.<\/p>\n
"There is probably no other active volcano in this world that
\nstands in the middle of the sea. Its fame, beauty and uniqueness
\nhas prompted the Lampung authorities to name Krakatau their top
\ntourist attraction," Wirdati explained.<\/p>\n
Today, the volcano is called Mt. Anak Krakatau. The 1883
\neruption left the volcano standing at 213 meters above sea level
\nand resulted in the creation of three islands namely, Sertung
\nIsland, Panjang Island and Krakatau Besar Island.<\/p>\n
Local reports say Anak Krakatau, which literally means the
\nchild of Krakatau, was only spotted in 1927 by fishermen.<\/p>\n
The locals have many tales about Krakatau.<\/p>\n
Every year, between July and August, the local administration
\nholds a series of weeklong events called Festival Krakatau which
\nconsists of traditional ceremonies, games and dances.<\/p>\n
By the way, where were your great grandparents when Krakatau
\nblew its top? (bsr)<\/p>",
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