About
Indonesia
Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago with an “official” 17,508 islands.
It’s a land of 250,000,000 people in 350 cultures speaking 650 languages Bahasa
Indonesia
is the national language.
Indonesia is home to several endangered species: Komodo dragon, orangutan, Sumatran
tiger, Sumatran elephant, Sumatran rhino, Bali starling
as well as many unique and
beautiful non-endangered plants and animals.
Indonesia is the 4th largest country by population in the world, the world’s
largest predominantly Muslim population and the world’s 3rd largest democracy.
For 300 years the country was colonized by the Dutch and known as the Dutch East
Indies. Following World War II, Indonesia declared its independence on August 17,
1945. Its first president, Sukarno, served until a military coup in 1965 (The Year of
Living Dangerously). General Suharto was appointed president in 1968 and served for
30 years until forced to step down during the Asian economic crisis of 1998. Indonesia has had four presidents since that time, including one woman, with its first
direct elections in 2004.
Today’s Indonesia varies from the very modern capital of Jakarta on the island of Java
to remote tribes living by age-old customs in West Papua at the very eastern end of
the archipelago. Among the main industries are oil and natural gas, rubber, textiles, and
tourism.
Probably the best known of the Indonesian provinces is Bali, with its unique culture but
other islands provide unique and fascinating experiences as well. Indonesia is known for
great scuba diving and snorkeling, tropical beaches, volcanoes, and warm and friendly
people.
It’s not possible to give Indonesia its due in this space so we invite you to research via
Wikipedia or similar sites. It will be a fascinating journey. Or if you’d like to see it for
yourself, see our Tours page.