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1000-Musamus-Tourism Attraction

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Musamus is a nest of a unique type of termite which lives in Merauke, Papua. Its name is Nasutitermes triodiae, a type of blind subterranean termite that only exists in Merauke, Papua and northern Australia. The subterranean termites are 5 millimeters in size which live in groups led by a termite queen and eat plants. In Merauke, the place where these subterranean termites make a home becomes an attractive tourism destination. When visiting the 1000 Musamus  in Merauke, you can see how strong the home made by termites is. The location of this tourism destination is in Kampung Selor 2, Kurik district, Merauke. The location is inside the Wasur National Park area. To arrive there, it takes about 2 hours from Merauke city.

When arriving at this 1000 Musamus tourism attraction, you will feel amazed by what you see. There are various Musamus which reach the height of 5 meters with a diameter of more than 2 meters and the size is various above the ground surface. The termite home has conical shape with the bottom supported by supporting poles which look like sheets or the outer shape of a star fruit. The surface texture of Musamus is squiggly and reddish brown like the color of the ground where it is located. When you look into it, you will find a very complicated room of hallways. These hallways function as a living space and a ventilation cavity which keep the temperature stable inside Musamus in order to keep it warm. It is the existence of these hallways that makes the nest safe for termite colonies because they will be protected from extreme temperature changes, even from forest fire.

Musamus is formed from the basic materials of dry grass, soil and the termite's saliva. These termites build their palace solidly and strongly, even it is able to withstand the weight of an adult human. For Merauke people, Musamus has its own philosophical meaning. Like Musamus termites, they work diligently without talking much and the result is visible in the form of Musamus' palace towering into the sky splendidly. Likewise, what the people of Merauke believe that by keeping working without complaining much and without destroying nature, we will see a magnificent result.

Read 650 times Last modified on Monday, 18 January 2021 10:12