A
dragon boat is a
human-powered watercraft. They were traditionally made in the
Pearl River Delta region of
China's southern Guangdong Province out of
teak wood (mostly imported from
Pontianak, Indonesia) to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used to build these traditional watercraft. It is one of a family of traditional paddled long boats found throughout
Asia,
Africa, the Pacific islands and also Puerto Rico. Currently, boats are being made for competitive purposes out of
carbon fiber and other lightweight materials.