Where is Indonesia
The Indonesia
archipelago straddling the equator in Southeast Asia
is made up of about 17,000 islands of which only about 6,000 of these islands
are inhabited. The largest Indonesian islands are Sumatra,
Java, Bali
, Kalimantan, Sulawesi,
the Nusa Tenggara islands, the Moluccas
Islands, and Irian Jaya. It has the fourth largest population in
the world.
Unfortunately,
Indonesia is part of the "Ring of Fire" volcanic belt and is said
to have the largest number of active volcanoes in the world and volcano
eruptions are a constant threat to cities and villagers near the volcanoes. To
the North of Indonesia is the island nation of Singapore
and Malaysia.
Indonesia
History
Indonesia was a melting
pot of diversity of cultures and indigenous beliefs when it was influenced by
Hindu priests and traders in the first and second centuries A.D. Muslim
invasions began in the 13th century and as a result, most Indonesians
converted to Islam by the 15th century.
The Portuguese traders were next to arrived but were
ousted by the Dutch around the 15th century. When Netherlands
fell to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1811, the British forcefully seized the
Indonesian islands however they returned the islands back to the Dutch in
1816. Indonesia
was then made part of the Dutch kingdom in 1922.
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When Netherlands
fell to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1811, the British forcefully seized the
Indonesian islands however they returned the islands back to the Dutch in
1816. Indonesia
was then made part of the Dutch kingdom in 1922.
Its ownership of the country changed hands again when the Japanese seized the
islands in the Second World War.
Japan's target when invading
Indonesia was
Indonesia's oil, which was vital to the Japanese war effort. After
Japan
surrendered, a bitter war for independence erupted.
Tourism In
Indonesia
Being such a huge and diverse country, tourism in
Indonesia flourished. Adventure tourism can be rather exciting
with so many islands unexplored. In the country’s capital city Jakarta, the
night life pulsates with its many dance clubs, live
music venues and rich Indonesian cuisines for food lovers.There are plenty
of inns, hotels, accommodations, vacation rentals homes for all types of
budgets in most towns and cities unless you are traveling off the beaten track.
Scuba diving is also a very popular activity for tourist in
Indonesia because of the diversity of its marine life and
magnificently clear waters.
Indonesia boasts of some of the best scuba diving locations in the
world. Eco tourism is now getting more popular as more and more tourists
realizing the richness of the many uncharted wilderness in Indonesia.
Perhaps the most well known tourist destination in
Indonesia is the
island of Bali. Most visitors to
Indonesia will usually want to stay a few nights at the world
famous island resort of Bali. Visitor arrivals to
Bali were disrupted in 2002 and 2005 due terrorist attack dubbed as the
Bali Bombing. However, the island tourist industry has recovered to its former
glory. I will be writing more about Bali in future
articles on tourist attractions in
Indonesia. - Travel Indonesia was posted in Sept
2007