Bali

Bali

Bali is an Indonesian province in the westernmost part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. One of Bali's attractions is the Subak irrigation system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ubud, a town in the Greater Denpasar, is considered the cultural center of Bali. Bali is famous for its advanced arts, which include traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leatherwork, metalwork and music. As part of the Coral Triangle, Bali has the highest biodiversity of marine species, mainly fish and turtles. Over 500 species of reef-building corals are found in this area alone. Bali is found directly west of the Wallace Line, and so its fauna is Asian in character, with very few Australasian influences, sharing more in common with Java than Lombok. Around 280 species of birds live here, among them the critically endangered Bali Myna, an endemic species. By the early 20th century, Bali was probably home to many large mammals such as the Banteng, leopard and the endemic Bali Tiger. The Banteng is still found in domesticated form, while leopards live only in neighboring Java and the Bali Tiger is extinct. Two species of monkeys occur in Bali, one is the Crab-Eating Macaque, locally known as "kera", the other is the Javan Langur, locally known as "lutung". The island's snakes include the King Cobra and the Reticulated Python. The area is also home to the Asian Water Monitor, a large varanid lizard, that can grow to at least 1.5 m long and 50 kg and can move quickly. Dolphins are often seen along the northern coastline near Singaraja and Lovina.