It is particularly notable as the habitat of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth, which is named after the island. Komodo Island has a surface area of 291 square kilometres, and had a human population of about 1,800 in 2020.

Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands and forms part of the Komodo National Park. It is a popular destination for diving. Administratively, it is part of the Komodo District (which also includes Rinca Island and numerous other islands off the west coast of Flores, together with part of the western portion of Flores itself), forming part of West Manggarai Regency within the province of East Nusa Tenggara.

In 1991 Komodo island was include on the Komodo National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve. It is considered one of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots. It has also has been selected as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.[1] The waters surrounding Komodo island contain rich marine biodiversity. Komodo islands is also a part of the Coral Triangle, which contains some of the richest marine biodiversity on Earth.

Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands and forms part of the Komodo National Park. It lies between the substantially larger neighbouring islands Sumbawa to the west and Flores to the east. The island's surface area covers 291 square kilometres. Komodo Island is home to the Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard on earth.

The earliest stories (among Westerners) of a dragon-like animal existing in the region circulated widely and attracted considerable attention. But no Westerner visited the island to check the story until official interest was sparked in the early 1910s by stories from Dutch sailors based in Flores in East Nusa Tenggara about a mysterious creature. The creature was allegedly a dragon which inhabited a small island in the Lesser Sunda Islands (the main island of which is Flores).

Hearing the reports, Lieutenant Steyn van Hensbroek, an official of the Dutch Colonial Administration in Flores, planned a trip to Komodo Island to continue the search. He armed himself, and accompanied by a team of soldiers, landed on the island. After a few days, Hensbroek managed to kill one of the lizards to investigate.

Realising the significance of the dragons on Komodo Island as an endangered species, the Dutch government issued a regulation on the protection of the lizards on Komodo Island in 1915.

In the decades since the Komodo became known to non-locals, various scientific expeditions from a range of countries have carried out field research on the dragons on Komodo Island.