Thursday, April 3, 2008

About Pangandaran

Pangandaran is small town
and a subdistrict in southern
Ciamis regency, West Java, Indonesia.
It is located on the southern coast
of java.

Pangandaran is popular tourist destination,
having a beach which is considered to be
one of the finest in java and which offers
excellent surfing.

A kite flying festival is held on
the beach in July and August.
It is reported that the local used
to fly kites in the evenings to catch
bats, and may still do so.

There is a local belief that wearing
any green garment in this area will anger
loro kidul, the javanese guardian spirit
or godness of the southern sea, and
will bring misfortune.

The penanjung pangandaran is nearby on
a peninsula connected to the mainland
by a narrow neck of land.
About eighty percents of the nature
reserve is secondary rain forest.
The flora of the nature reserve includes
Rafflesia.

A tsunami hit the area on 17 July 2006.
An undersea earthquake measured at 7.7
on the richterscale trigerred a three
metre high tidal wave.
Extensive damage was caused and hundreds
of people were reported to he dead
or missing.



Taken from wikipedia