Category: Indonesia

Indonesia is situated in Oceania and Southeast Asia which consists of 17,508 islands. The capital of Indonesia is Jakarta and the country is bordered by East Timor, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Other neighbors of Indonesia are Philippines, Australia, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Singapore. Indonesia is a member of G-20 and ASEAN. According to the evidences, Java Man’ lived in Indonesia about 2 million to 5 million years back. Around 2000 BCE, Austronesian people reached the country. Portuguese are the first European reached Indonesia in order to monopolized spices followed by the Dutch as well as British.

Indonesia got independence from Dutch in the year 1945 and was acknowledged by the Dutch in 1949. Indonesia is now a Presidential republic and after President Suharto’s resignation in the year 1998, the country has undergone many reforms in its governmental and political structures. Head of the state is the president and president is also the commander-in-chief of Armed Forces. Indonesia’s economy is a mixed economy and the largest in the Southeast Asia. Agriculture is the largest employing sector that consists of 95 million working people followed by service sector and industry.

The total population of the country accounts for 264 million and majority (58%) of the people lives in Java Island making it the most populous among the islands of the world. In the country most of the people are the descendents of Austronesians and Melanesians. In Indonesia, 300 different native ethnicities are there and 742 languages as well as dialects. Javanese are the largest ethnic people who consist of 42% of the total population. Major non-Javanese groups are ethnic Malays, Madurese and Sundanese. The official language of the country is Indonesian which is a form of Malay language. Javanese is another major language spoken by the people and more than 270 indigenous Austronesian and Papuan languages are also spoken in the country. Six religions are recognized officially such as Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.

Indonesia ranks second in biodiversity after Brazil. Indonesia is world famous for its tourist destinations such as dense forests, beaches, natural beauty and volcanoes. Indonesian tradition and culture with its museums, huge mosques and temples is luring many foreign tourists to Indonesia. Jakarta, the capital of the country has various tourist spots such as Portuguese Church, Istiqial Mosque, Medeka Square, The National Monument towers and the Central Museum.

Sumatra is an island where you can find unexplored jungle, hot springs, extensive plantations and volcanic mountains. You can visit some beautiful reserve forests such as Gedung Wani, Mount Loeser Reserve and Bengkulu which consists of a variety of flora and fauna in Sumatra. Some of other favorite destinations of tourists in Sumatra are Lingga village, Bukittinggi’s Fort de Kock, Bundo Kadug Museum, beaches, renovated rice barn and Lake Toba. Sulawesi is another great tourist destination which is also called as the Orchid Island. Sulawesi is famous for its misty lakes and valleys, high mountains, hot springs and geysers. Bali is place where you can find sandy beaches, mountain and jungle which offer several adventurous activities. Other places of attractions are Banda Islands, Lombok, Yogakartas and Nusa Dua.