Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest archipelago and fourth most populous country in the world. The country is geographically situated between the Australian and Asian continental mainland and divides the pacific and Indian ocean at the equator. Consisting of five main islands (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi , and Papua, 30 smaller archipelagos, the country is made up of a total 17,508 islands of which around 6,000 are inhabited across 33 provinces. Indonesia stretches 5,150 kilometers from Sabang in the westernmost tip of Sumatra to Merauke in Papua to the east. Its capital city is Jakarta, home to more than 8 milion people.

Map of Indonesia

Cave in Jawa

Climate

Indonesia has a tropical climate. The east monsoon from June to September brings dry weather, while the west monsoon from December to March, a transitional period in-between, are interposed by occasional rain showers. Even in the midst of the west monsoon season, temperatures range from 21' C ( 70' F) to 33' C (90'F), except at higher altitudes, which are substantially cooler and less humid. The heaviest seasonal rainfalls are recorder from December through January. Humidity is between 60-100%.

Language and Dialects

Different Ethic group in Indonesia

There are more than 483 languages and dialects spoken in the archipelago. These belong to the 350 different ethnic group comprising the nation's population. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language, written in Roman Script and based on European orthography. English is the primary foreign language used at all major tourist destinations.

Comodo National Park

51 National Parks

A unique marine biodiversity hotspot , the Wallacea region has 28,000 species of flora, ranging from tiny rare orchids to the giant Rafflesia flower and 3,500 species of fauna, including the endangered orangutans of Borneo and Sumatra, the giant Komodo lizard, the one-horned Javan Rhinoceros and the tigers of Sumatra.

Cuisine

The staple food of most of Indonesia is rice ('Nasi" in Bahasa Indonesia). Rice is eaten with an endless choice of side dishes and condiments, usually consisting of a vegetable dish, a meat/ fish dish and some form of spicy paste or sauce. Popular national dishes include sate (skewed grilled beef or mutton), gado-gado (assorted vegetable salad in spicy peanut sauce), a wide variety of nasi goreng (fried rice) and bakmi (noodles) dishes. In major cities, eating plate featuring Eastern( Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai) and Western cuisine can also be found in abundance.

In the eastern islands of Indonesia, the staple diet traditionally comprises either corn, sago, and cassava or sweet potatoes. Fish features prominently in the diet, either fresh, salted, dried, smoked or in paste form. Coconut is an ubiquitous and versatile ingredient in many dishes. Indonesian cuisine is generally spicy and in most regions, ample use of pleasantly aromatic and colorful spices and chilies dominate the flavors of the cuisines, especially those of West Sumatra and North Sulawesi.

The Culinary tastes of Indonesia vary widely across the archipelago. Javanese cuisine is generally mild in taste, and mainly uses vegetables, soybeans, beef and chicken as primary ingredients. Compared to other regions', Sumatra's cuisine is known for its wide use of beef ( the famous hot and spicy 'rendang') as well as other parts of the animal. West Sumatra is particularly known for its Padang Restaurant found nationwide. Further to the east, seafood is a main feature of the daily diet, either grilled or made into curried. In Bali, Papua and the highlands of North Sumatra and North Sulawesi, which are home to the majority of the country's non-Muslin population, pork dishes are specialties.

Indonesian Cuisine

Indonesia is a heaven of luscious tropical and sub-tropical fruits and vegetables all year round. Local fruits include the durian, rambutan, mango, mangosteen, star fruit, jackfruit, sawo (Sapotaceae) and duku (Meliaceae). Some are seasonal varietes, while others are available all year round. Other exotic indigenous fruit include the Javanese salak and the matoa of Papua.


Coffee and tea are served everywhere and at any time from restaurant to warungs or stalls. Robusta and Arabica are popular varieties of coffee, and are generally brewed directly in hot water without filtration. Black, green and jasmine-scented tea is widely consumed throughout the country.

Indonesia has a number of local beer breweries as well as traditional alcoholic beverages. Bali Produces 'brem', a form of rice wine, whereas Toraja and North Sumatra has the 'tuak', made from fermented juice of enau or aren plant