Unity in Diversity, the national motto of Indonesia, is a term that strikes deep into the heart of this dynamic and attractive Southeast Asian nation. Few places offer such cultural variety and geographical complexity as Indonesia, and no two journeys here are ever alike. Geography Brings you travelling around the Equatorial Jades: Indonesia or Nusantara where a Paradise of Future Business will establish in face of the third millenium free-trade. Its strategic location between two continents (Asia and Australia), between two oceans (Indian and Pacific), and on the traditional marine traffics between West and East, ensures its important roles in the ever-developing main global economic growth center.
Location
Indonesia is composed of seventeen thousand islands that stretch over five thousand miles along the equator. The Malay peninsula and Indochina are situated to the north-west, and the continent of Australia lies due south. Northward lie the Philippines and Micronesia.
The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia's constellation of islands straddles the divide between the Asian and Australian continental plates. As a result, the islands offer a stunning variety of topographies and ecologies Mist-shrouded volcanoes and mountains, unexplored rain forests, thousands of miles of beaches, and endless offshore reefs support a dazzling abundance of wildlife, making Indonesia an ideal destination for adventure and eco-travel.
The great majority of the country's constituent islands are of negligible size, but it does hold--wholly or in part--several islands that are enormous. These include Sumatra, Kalimantan (formerly Borneo, and shared with Malaysia), Sulawesi, and Java. The Indonesian state of Irian Jaya occupies the western half of New Guinea, which is the world's second largest island (behind Greenland). The most populous of the Indonesian islands by far is Java, home to the sprawling capital city of Jakarta. Other notable islands include the exotic, popular resort island of Bali, Lombok, Catholic Flores, and Komodo, home of dragons.
History & Culture
As early as the seventh century, powerful Buddhist and Hindu empires challenged each other for supremacy in Indonesia: the Buddhist Srivijaya were centered in Sumatra, while the Hindu Mataram located their capital on Java. The rich architectural and cultural legacy that remains from that time forms the basis for Indonesia's national identity. In the thirteenth century, the Hindu Majapahit of Java faced a strong challenge from Muslim forces, which spread south from the Malay peninsula. Slowly losing ground, the Hindus retreated to Bali, where they remain today. The rest of the islands became Muslim, and various sultanates were established.
The sixteenth century marked the arrival of the Portuguese, the first Europeans in Indonesia. Although the Portuguese broke the Islamic hold on Indonesia, they were eventually displaced in turn by the Dutch, who named the area the Dutch East Indies. Although a revolt led by Javanese Prince Diponegoro in 1825 briefly threatened Holland's empire, Dutch rule continued until W.W.II and invasion by the Japanese. The Indonesian revolutionary nationalist movement, led by Sukarno, welcomed the Japanese as a potential force of liberation, and at the war's end the movement embarked upon a bloody war of independence against the restored Dutch rule. Although the war dragged on for four long years, from 1945-1949, the independence movement was ultimately victorious.
Turmoil characterized the first decade of Indonesian independence, until in 1957 Sukarno unified power in his own person. An attempted coup against Sukarno in 1965 brought renewed turmoil; however, the army led by General Suharto restored order and initiated a purge of communists. Eventually Suharto eased Sukarno out of the presidency and assumed office himself. Suharto's rule ushered in a period of stability and economic development. His retirement is in 1998.
Indonesia's varied past has produced a remarkable array of vibrant cultures, making it one of the world's most diverse and fascinating travel destinations. Today, Indonesia is the fifth most populous nation on Earth, with over 180 million citizens comprising over 300 ethnicities. Most Indonesians are of Malay or Polynesian descent, though the country's history has produced minority populations from India, China, Arabia, and Persia, as well as from European colonial powers such as Portugal, Holland, Spain, and England.
Although primarily a Muslim nation, Indonesia is marked by wide religious tolerance. Hinduism thrives on Bali, and Christianity has a significant presence on Flores, Timor, and several other islands. Indonesians speak numerous languages and dialects, but the common language is Bahasa Indonesia. English and Dutch are also widely spoken.
Geography
The Republic of Indonesia is the largest archipelago country in the world, comprising 17,508 islands stretching along 5,120 kilometers from east to west, and 1,760 kilometers from north to south. The islands scatter over more than one tenth of the equator between Southeast Asia and Australia, covering a land area of around 2 million square kilometers and territorial waters nearly four time of that size.
a. Main islands : Java, Bali, Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua.
There are two large groupings of smaller islands: Maluku and Nusa Tenggara.
b. Main cities :
Jakarta, the capital city of the Republic of Indonesia located on the north west coast Java, is the government and an economic center of Indonesia.
Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city located in East Java, is a leading industrial center and port.
Bandung in West Java, is the third largest city about 180 kilometers southeast of Jakarta.
Other important cities are Semarang, Yogyakarta, Padang, Medan, Palembang, Makassar, Banjarmasin, Bandar Lampung and Manado.
Size: Total land area 1,919,317 square kilometers, which includes some 93,000 square kilometers of inland seas. Total area claimed, including an exclusive economic zone, 7.9 million square kilometers.
Topography: Islands mountainous, with some peaks reaching 3,800 meters above sea level in western islands and as high as 5,000 meters in Irian Jaya. Highest point Puncak Jaya (5,039 meters), in Irian Jaya. Region tectonically unstable with some 400 volcanoes, of which 100 are active.
Climate: Tropical, hot, humid; more moderate climate in highlands. Little variation in temperature because of almost uniformly warm waters that are part of the archipelago. In much of western Indonesia dry season June to September, rainy season December to March.
The Archipelago
The archipelago of Indonesia comprises about 17,508 big and small islands, of which only about 6,000 are inhabited. Five main islands and 30 smaller island groups are home to the majority of the population. The main islands are Sumatera (425,606 km2), Kalimantan (539,460 km2), Sulawesi (174,219 km2), Irian Jaya (421,981 km2), and Java (129,187 km2) which is home to about 70% of the country’s population.
The archipelago lies on tropical zone of Southeast Asia. The equator passes through the islands of Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Halmahera. Geographically, the archipelago is situated between 06o08’ north latitude to 11o15’ south latitude and 94o45’ to 141o05’ east longitude; between two continents: Asia and Australia; between two oceans: Indian and Pacific; and on the traditional trading crossroads.
Stretching along the equator of about 8,000 km long, it is the same width to the North American Mainland, or Australia Continent, or West European Continent. Total territorial area is 9.8 million km2, a large part of which (7.9 million km2 or 81%) is sea, while the rest (1.9 million km2 or 19%) is terrestrial land. Total coastline length of all islands is 54,716 km. Having such figures, Indonesia is recognized as the greatest maritime country in the world.
Demography and Human Resources
According to the Population Census 2000, the total population of Indonesia is 203,456,005. The distribution of population, however, is not even. The island of Java with less than 7 percent of total land area is the home of almost 60 percent of the total population, while the island of Papua that covers almost 21 percent of total land area is inhabited by only 1 percent of the total population.
Population growth during the period of 1990-2000 is 1.35 percent/year.
Administrative Divisions
The capital of the Republic of Indonesia is Jakarta, the biggest and most densely populated city in the country, located on Java Island. Administratively, Indonesia is divided into 32 provinces, led by a Governor. Of all provinces, there are three special provincial territories, i.e.: Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DI Yogyakarta - Yogyakarta Special Territory), and Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta (DKI Jakarta - Jakarta Metropolitan Special Territory).
Each province is divided into some kabupaten (regency), kota (city) or kotamadya (big city). A kabupaten or regency commonly covers a capital town and surrounding area as well as a great area of hinterlands; it is led by a Bupati. Whereas, a kota or kotamadya or city covers a big city, including its sub-urban areas; it is led by a Walikota (City Mayor). Kabupaten and kota have the same level of governmental hierarchy.
Within a kabupaten or kota there are some kecamatan (districts), led by a Camat. Each kecamatan is divided into some desa / kelurahan (villages). Desa is village within a kabupaten, and it is led by a Kepala Desa (Village Chief); while kelurahan is village within a kota or kotamadya, and it is led by a Lurah. Village (desa and kelurahan) is the lowest level of governmental organization structure.
Within a village there are some voluntary social organizations called Rukun Kampung (RK - Hamlets within a desa) or Rukun Warga (RW - Hamlets within a kelurahan), each is led by a volutary social leader called Ketua RK or Ketua RW. Within each RK or RW, there are also some Rukun Tetangga (RT - Neighborhood). Led by a Ketua RT, each RT covers some neighboring households.
Physiography And Geomorphology
The archipelago of Indonesia is situated on the matching point of the two world greatest volcanic ranges, the Mediterranean from the west and Circum Pacific from the northeast, by which the volcanic pattern, physiography, and geomorphology of the archipelago are strongly influenced.
There are about 400 mounts, most of which are volcanoes - either active or inactive ones - forming a bow of mountain ranges along the array of islands on the southern archipelago stretching from Sumatera, Krakatau on the Straits of Sunda, Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, and Flores. Kalimantan is the only island where volcano does not exist; instead, dense tropical rainforest naturally developed on the middle-range and peat-swamp ecosystems on the lowland. The highest summit of the archipelago is Mount Jayawijaya, about 5,000 m above sea level, where snow can be permanently found.
Facing the Indian Ocean, most of the coastlines of these islands are steep cliffs with very limited sand dunes. On the other hand, the inner northward coastlines are relatively flat, with substantially rapid coast expansion due to excessive sedimentation. On this type of coastline, mangrove forest communities exist, and brackish-water fish culture takes place on relatively developed areas.
Volcanoes
The country is predominantly mountainous with some 400 volcanoes, of which 100 are active. Mountains higher than 9,000 feet are found on the islands of Sumatra (Mt. Leuser and Mt. Kerinci), Java (Mt. Gede, Mt. Tangkubanperahu, Mt. Ciremai, Mt. Kawi, Mt. Kelud, Mt. Semeru and Mt. Raung), Sulawesi (Mt. Lompobatang and Mt. Rantekombala), Bali (Mt. Batur and Mt. Agung), Lombok (Mt. Rinjani) and Sumbawa (Mt. Tambora). The highest mountain is the perpetually snow-capped Mandala Top (15,300 feet) in the Jaya Wijaya mountain range of Irian Jaya.
Recorded eruptions of volcanoes over the last two decades are: Sumatra - Dempo 1973, and 1974, Merapi 1978, Sorik Merapi 1989, Kerinci 1990; Sunda Strait Anak Krakatau 1978 and 1979; Java - Bromo 1972, Merapi 1972 and 1976, Raung 1978, Semeru 1978 and 1979, Butak Petarangan (Sinila and Sigludar) 1979; Paluweh - Rokatenda 1978, Galunggung 1982, Slamet 1988, Kelud 1990; Sulawesi - Lokon 1978, 1979 and 1991, Siau - Karangetang 1978 and 1979, Colo 1983, Soputan 1989; Maluku - Dukono 1978, Gamalama Kie Besi 1987, Banda Api 1988; East Nusa Tenggara - Lewotobi laki-laki 1990.
Rivers and Likes
Many rivers flow throughout the country. They serve as useful transportation routes on certain islands, for example, the Musi, Batanghari, Indragiri and Kampar rivers in Sumatra; the Kapuas, Barito, Mahakam and Rejang rivers in Kalimantan; and the Memberamo and Digul rivers in Irian Jaya. On Java rivers are important for irrigation purposes, i.e., the Bengawan Solo, Citarum and Brantas rivers.
A number of islands are dotted with scenic lakes, like the Toba, Maninjau and Singkarak lakes on Sumatra; the Tempe, Towuti, Sidenreng, Poso, Limboto, Tondano, and Matana lakes on Sulawesi; and the Paniai and Sentani lakes on Irian Jaya.
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