Indonesia

Baby Orangutan

Mount Semeru & Mount Bromo In East Java. World's Highest Volcanic Activity

Orchid Cybidium dayanum

Childern performing Traditional Music

Bali Dancer

Festivals

Roha Dance

history

Fossilized remains of Homo erectus, popularly known as the "Java Man", suggest that the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited 500,000 years ago.

geography

Indonesia consists of 17,508 islands, about which are scattered over both sides of the equator. The five largest islands are Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), New Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea), and Sulawesi. The capital, Jakarta, is on Java and is the nation's largest city, followed by Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, and Semarang. Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, is also the nation's most modern city. High-rise hotels and modern office and government buildings dominate the city center. Lake Toba in Sumatra its largest lake, with an area of 1,145 square kilometers. Indonesia's is a site of numerous volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Indonesia has at least 150 active volcanoes. However, volcanic ash is a major contributor to the high agricultural fertility that has historically sustained the high population densities of Java and Bali.

Climate

Lying along the equator, Indonesia has a tropical climate, with two distinct monsoonal wet and dry seasons. Average annual rainfall in the lowlands varies from 1,780 3,175 mm (70-125 in), and up to 6,100 mm (240 in) in mountainous regions.

government and politics

Indonesia is a republic with a presidential system. The provinces of Aceh, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Papua, and West Papua have greater legislative privileges and a higher degree of autonomy from the central government than the other provinces.

ecology

Indonesia's has highest level of biodiversity and its flora and fauna is a mixture of Asian and Australasian species. Large species such as the tiger, rhinoceros, orangutan, elephant, and leopard, were once abundant as far east as Bali. Forests cover approximately 60% of the country.

economy

Major industries include petroleum and natural gas, textiles and mining. Agricultural products include palm oil, rice, tea, coffee, spices, and rubber.
Rice is the chief food crop of Indonesia, as well as bananas, cassava, coconuts, corn, peanuts, spices, and sweet potatoes. Natural rubber comes from huge rubber tree plantation. The world's finest rubber-growing regions lie within a rubber belt that extends about700 miles on each side of the equator. Timber comes mainly from Borneo and Sumatra. Indonesia also has largest fishing industries.

culture

Traditional Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain aspects of Hindu culture and mythology, as do wayang kulif (shadow puppet) performances. Textiles such as batik, jkat and songket are created across Indonesia in styles that vary by region. The most dominant influences on Indonesian architecture have traditionally been Indian. The most popular sports in Indonesia are badminton and football; Traditional sports include seoaj fajrawm, and bull racing in Madura. Indonesian cuisine varies by region and is based on Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian precedents. Rice is the main staple food and is served with side dishes of meat and vegetables. Spices (notably chili), coconut milk, fish and chicken are fundamental ingredients. Indonesian traditional music includes gamelan and keroncong. Crocodiles, elephants, pythons, rhinoceroses, and tigers live in some of these forests. Forested Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), to the east of Borneo, is Indonesia's most mountainous island. Java, the most industrialized island of Indonesia, has thousands of small farm villages. An east-west chain of mountains extending across Java includes many volcanoes, some of them active. Wide, fertile plains lie north of the mountains, with limestone ridges to the south. A large highland plateau covers western Java. Sumatra, to the west of Java, is the sixth largest island in the world. Along the southwestern coast of the island, a range of volcanic peaks rises about 12,000 feet (3,660 meters). The mountains slope eastward to a broad plain covered by dense rain forests and some farmland. Much of the eastern coast is swampy. The people of the Moluccas live primarily in coastal trading settlements. Ambon, an important port, is the largest city. The Moluccas became famous hundreds of years ago when traders gathered spices there for sale in Europe. They were known as the Spice Islands.

people

Melaka's ruler converted to Islam, the religion began to spread throughout the islands. Today, the vast majority of the Indonesian people are Muslims, but many are less strict in their observance of Islam teachings than are Muslims in Arab countries. Although it is not an Islamic state, Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority, with almost 86.1% of Indonesians declared Muslim according to the 2000 census. 8.7% of the population is Christian, 3% are Hindu, and 1.8% Buddhist or other. Most Indonesian Hindus are Balinese, and most Buddhists in modern-day Indonesia are ethnic Chinese.

art and culture

The Indonesian islands were a crossroads in the trade of spices that extended from Arabica to China. The Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic cultures in particular had a lasting effect on the religion, customs, and arts of the area. Indian architecture influenced the design of Indonesian temples, and Indian legends became part of local puppet plays in the villages. Although villagers continued to worship according to their ancient beliefs, they also began to pray to Indian gods.

Indonesian girl in traditional dress

Nutmeg Plant

Borobudur Temple

Temple

Rijsttafel special

Farmers cultivate rice in Mountainous Bali

Dancer Performing the Kecak Dance