:: About Indonesia Islands ::
Republic of Indonesia
is a nation in Southeast Asia. Comprising 17,508
islands, it is the world's largest archipelagic state.
With a population of over 244 millio
n
people, it is the world's fourth most populous country
and the most populous Muslim-majority nation, although
officially it is not an Islamic state. Indonesia is a
republic, with an elected parliament and president. The
nation's capital city is Jakarta. The country shares
land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor and
Malaysia. Other neighboring countries include Singapore,
the Philippines, Australia, and the Indian territory of
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Indonesian archipelago has been an important trade
reg
ion
since at least the seventh century, when the Srivijaya
Kingdom formed trade links with China. Indonesian
history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to
its natural resources. Under Indian influence, Hindu and
Buddhist kingdoms flourished from the early centuries
CE. Muslim traders brought Islam, and European powers
fought one another to monopolize trade in the Spice
Islands of Maluku during the Age of Exploration.
Following three and a half centuries of Dutch
colonialism, Indonesia secured its independence after
World War II. Indonesia's history has since been
turbulent, with challenges posed by natural disasters,
corruption, separatism, a democratization process, and
periods of rapid economic change.
Across its many islands, Indonesia consists of distinct
ethn
ic,
linguistic, and religious groups. The Javanese are the
largest and politically dominant ethnic group. As a
unitary state and a nation, Indonesia has developed a
shared identity defined by a national language, a
majority Muslim population, and a history of colonialism
and rebellion against it. Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka
tunggal ika" ("Unity in Diversity" lit. "many, yet
one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the
country. However, sectarian tensions and separatism have
led to violent confrontations that have undermined
political and economic stability. Despite its large
population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has
vast areas of wilderness that support the world's second
highest level of biodiversity. The country is ric
hly
endowed with natural resources, yet poverty is a
defining feature of contemporary Indonesia.
Consistingof
more than 17,508 islands, the vast Indonesian
archipelago spans 5,120 km across the equator,
positioned between the Asian and Australian continents.
Four-fifths of the area is sea with the major islands of
Sumatera, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. The 300
ethnic groups that exist harmoniously give birth to a
potpourri of cultures and fascinating people. The major
ethnic groups are: Minangkabaunese, Malay, Javanese,
Sundanese, Maduranese and Ambonnese. Arab, Chinese and
Indian immigrants have also settled in regions
throughout the country, particularly in the coastal
cities.
Geographically, Indonesia's
landscape is greatly varied. Java and Bali have the
most fertile islands and rice fields are concentrated in
these two regions, whereas Sumatra, Kalimantan,
Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua are still largely covered
with tropical rainforest. Open savannah and grassland
characterize Nusa Tenggara.
The
lowland
that comprise most of Indonesia has a characteristically
tropical climate with abundant rainfall,
high-temperatures and humidity. Rainy Indonesia's
tropical climate and unique geographical character
provide shelter for flora and fauna that are as
diversely rich as its land and people. The plant and
animals in Indonesia's western region represent that of
mainland Asia while those in the eastern region are
typical of Australia. Endemic species, which are the
pride of Indonesia exist in the central region, such as
orangutans, tigers, one-horned rhinos, elephants,
dugongs, anoas and komodo dragons. The warm tropical
waters of the archipelago nurture a rich marine
environment that holds a myriad of fish, coral species
and marine mammals.
A cultural heritage passed
on through generations offers a wealth of traditional
arts and crafts. Batik, wooden carvings, weavings,
silverworks and many other traditional skills produce
exquisitely beautiful items. Indonesia's multi-racial
and multi-religious culture mean festivals steeped in
traditions are celebrated throughout the year.
Frequently featured in these events are dances,
wayang theaters and other performing arts.
INDONESIA CAPITAL CITY:
Jakarta
(also
DKI Jakarta), is the capital and largest city of
Indonesia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kalapa
(397-1527), Jayakarta (1527-1619), Batavia (1619-1942),
and Djakarta (1942-1972). Located on the northwest coast
of the Java Island, it has an area of 661.52 km² and an
official population of 8,389,443 (2000[1]). Jakarta
currently is the eleventh largest city, fifth largest
metropolitan area and ninth most densely populated city
in the world with 44,283 people per sq mile.[3] Its
metropolitan area is called Jabodetabek and contains
more than 23 million people, and is part of an even
larger Jakarta-Bandung megalopolis.
Jakarta is served by the Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport. Since 2004, Jakarta, under the governance of
Sutiyoso, has built a new bus system, which is known as
"TransJakarta" or "Busway." Jakarta had hoped to
establish its newest transportation system, the Jakarta
Monorail, in 2007, but the project has been delayed and
its completion date will very likely be pushed back.
Jakarta also is the location of the Jakarta Stock
Exchange and the National Monument.
INDONESIA MOTTO: BHINEKA
TUNGGAL IKA
The
motto of Indonesia is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika which is Old
Javanese and is often loosely translated as 'Unity in
Diversity' but literally it means '(Although) in pieces,
yet One'.
This is a quotation from an Old Javanese poem kakawin
Sutasoma, written by Mpu Tantular during the reign of
the Majapahit empire somewhere in the 14th century.
Kakawin or Kawya, are epic poems written in Indian
metres.
This poem is notable as it promotes tolerance between
Hindus (Shivaites) and Buddhists.
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ETYMOLOGY
The
name
Indonesia derives from the Latin Indus, meaning "India",
and the Greek nesos, meaning "island". The name dates to
the 18th century, far predating the formation of
independent Indonesia.In 1850, George Earl, an English
ethnologist, proposed the terms Indunesians—and, his
preference, Malayunesians—for the inhabitants of the
"Indian Archipelago or Malayan Archipelago". In the same
publication, a student of Earl's, James Richardson
Logan, used Indonesia as a synonym for Indian
Archipelago.However, Dutch academics writing in East
Indies publications were reluctant to use Indonesia.
Instead, they used the terms Malay Archipelago (Maleische
Archipel); the Netherlands East Indies (Nederlandsch
Oost Indië), popularly Indië; the East (de Oost); and
even Insulinde.
From 900,
the name Indonesia became more common in academic
circles outside the Netherlands, and Indonesian
nationalist groups adopted it for political
expression.Adolf Bastian, of the University of Berlin,
popularized the name through his book Indonesien oder
die Inseln des Malayichen Archipels, 1884–1894. The
first Indonesian scholar to use the name was Suwardi
Suryaningrat (Ki Hajar Dewantara), when he established a
press bureau in the Netherlands with the name
Indonesisch Pers-bureau in 1913.
INDONESIA PROVINCES.
Administratively,
Indonesia consists of 33 provinces, five of which have
special status. Each province has its own political
legislature and governor. The provinces are subdivided
into regencies (kabupaten) and (kota), which are further
subdivided into subdistricts (kecamatan), and again into
village groupings (either desa or kelurahan). Following
the implementation of regional autonomy measures in
2001, the regencies and cities have become the key
administrative units, responsible for providing most
government services. The village administration level is
the most influential on a citizen's daily life, and
handles matters of a village or neighborhood through an
elected lurah or kepala desa (village chief).
Aceh, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Papua, and West Papua
provinces have greater legislative privileges and a
higher degree of autonomy from the central government
than the other provinces. The Acehnese government, for
example, has the right to create an independent legal
system; in 2003, it instituted a form of Sharia (Islamic
law). Yogyakarta was granted the status of Special
Region in recognition of its pivotal role in supporting
Indonesian Republicans during the Indonesian Revolution.
Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, was granted special
autonomy status in 2001. Jakarta is the country's
special capital region.
INDONESIA PROVINCES LIST
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Geography Of Indonesia.
Indonesia
consists
of 17,508 islands, about 6,000 of which are inhabited.
These 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. Indonesia shares land
borders with Malaysia on the island of Borneo, Sebatik,
Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea, and East
Timor on the island of Timor. Indonesia also shares
borders with Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines to
the north and Australia to the south across narrow
straits of water. The capital, Jakarta, is on Java and
is the nation's largest city, followed by Surabaya,
Bandung, Medan, and Semarang.
At 1,919,440 square kilometers (741,050 sq mi),
Indonesia is the world's 16th-largest country in terms
of land area.Its average population density is 134
people per square kilometer (347 per sq mi), 79th in the
world, although Java, the world's most populous island,
has a population density of 940 people per square
kilometer (2,435 per sq mi). At 4,884 meters (16,024
ft), Puncak Jaya in Papua is Indonesia's highest peak,
and Lake Toba in Sumatra its largest lake, with an area
of 1,145 square kilometers (442 sq mi). The country's
largest rivers are in Kalimantan, and include the
Mahakam and Barito; such rivers are communication and
transport links between the island's river settlements.
Indonesia's
location
on the edges of the
Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian tectonic plates, makes
it the site of numerous volcanoes and frequent
earthquakes. Indonesia has at least 150 active
volcanoes, including Krakatoa and Tambora, both famous
for their devastating eruptions in the 19th century. The
eruption of the Toba supervolcano, approximately 70,000
years ago, was one of the largest eruptions ever, and a
global catastrophe. Recent disasters due to seismic
activity include the 2004 tsunami that killed an
estimated 167,736 in northern Sumatra, and the
Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006. However, volcanic ash is
a major contributor to the high agricultural fertility
that has historically sustained the high population
densities of Java and Bali.
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 millimeters (70–125 in), and up
to 6,100 millimeters (240 in) in mountainous regions.
Mountainous areas—particularly in the west coast of
Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and
Papua—receive the highest rainfall. Humidity is
generally high, averaging about 80%. Temperatures vary
little throughout the year; the average daily
temperature range of Jakarta is 26–30 °C (79–86 °F).[67]
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