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Krakatau volcano never loses its charm
Spooky beauty: Anak Krakatau spews thick white smoke
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Spooky beauty: Anak Krakatau spews thick white smoke.
Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, some 160 kilometers west of Jakarta, commands admiration for its epic 1883 eruption and present-day eerie beauty. Known internationally as Krakatoa, the volcano became famous the world over after it erupted on Aug. 27, 1883, causing 70 percent of the islet of the same name to disappear. The eruption and the tsunami it caused have been remembered as one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, killing roughly 36,000 people and wreaking havoc on the global climate.
What we see today is the volcanic island of Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau), which appeared in 1927. A major eruption occurred on Dec. 22, 2018, which caused a tsunami that struck coastal areas of southern Sumatra and western Banten. At least 426 people were killed, with 23 missing and a further 7,200 injured.
Anak Krakatau is part of a group of four islets, the other three being Panjang, Rakata and Sertung. In 1991, UNESCO recognized the Krakatau islets as a world heritage site. Anak Krakatau is open for scientists to do research but not for tourism or any other commercial activities. An official permit is required from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) to visit Anak Krakatau.
–Text and photos by Arief Suhardiman
