Lorentz National Park in the Indonesian province of Papua, on the island of New Guinea, is the largest protected area in Southeast Asia. It was established in 1997 and extends from the snow-capped central mountains down through highland valleys and rainforest to the swamps and mangroves of the southern coast. It is among the few places in the world where a single protected area covers a range from glacial to marine environments. The park has very high biodiversity, including many endemic species, and it is home to several Indigenous peoples. It was named after the Dutch explorer Hendrikus Lorentz and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.
Before and after
- 20 December 1996Death of Carl Sagan
- 1997Release of Visual Studio
- from 1997 to 2014Founding of G8
- 1997Establishment of Talampaya National Park
- 1997Establishment of Lorentz National Park
- 1997Founding of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
- 1997Founding of Subaru Telescope
- 19971997 becomes the warmest year on record
- 25 January 1997Norwegian rocket incident
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