Indonesia is the biggest islands country in the world, located in tropical area that warm always in the year. Have Indonesia become your destination vacation! There are many kinds of object tourism in which you can not find in your country, such as: the beautiful beach to have swimming and surfing, the beautiful mountain, the great historic things: Temples, Crater, etc. There are also varieties of Indonesia culture. The cost to have a vacation to Indonesia is cheap. The society are very friendly and make your vacation will terrific. Welcome to Indonesia, A Tropical Paradise in The World.

The name Indonesia has its roots in two Greek words: "Indos" meaning Indian and "Nesos" which means islands. It is an appropriate description of the archipelago as there are estimated to be a total of 17,508 islands, of which only about 6,000 are inhabited, stretching for 5,150 km between the Australian and Asian continental mainlands and dividing the Pacific and Indian Oceans at the Equator. Five main islands and 30 smaller archipelagoes are home to the majority of the population. The main islands are Sumatra / Sumatera (473,606 sq.km), Kalimantan / Borneo (539,400 sq.km), Sulawesi / Celebes (189,216 sq. km), Irian Jaya / Papua (421,981 sq. km), and last but not least : Jawa / Java island(132,187 sq.km), home to 70 percent of the country's population. Indonesia shares Irian Jaya with Papua New Guinea and two thirds of the island of Kalimantan with Malaysia and Brunei.

The islands and people of Indonesia constitute the fourth most populated nation in the world. As a democratic republic, Indonesia is divided into 33 provinces, special territories and classified geographically into four groups. First are the Greater Sundas, made up of the larger islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. Second are the Lesser Sundas, consisting of smaller islands from Bali eastward to Timor. Third is Maluku/Molucca which includes all the islands between Irian Jaya and Sulawesi. The fourth and final group is Irian Jaya in the extreme eastern part of the country.

HISTORY

The strategic position of Indonesia, has had distinctive influences on both the political and economic history of the islands. Fossils of "Java Man" (Pithecanthropus Erectus) which date back some 500,000 years, were discovered near the village of Trinil in East Java by Dr. Eugene Dubois in 1809. This discovery was followed by other finds in later years which are evidence of Java's earliest inhabitants. Major migration movements to the Indonesian archipelago have been traced as far back as 3,000- 500 B.C. These first migrants were of Mongoloid stock from China and Tonkin and have been credited with introducing new Stone, Bronze and Iron Age cultures as well as the Austronesian language

Indonesia came under the influence of a mighty Indian civilization through the gradual influx of Indian traders in the first century A.D., when great Hindu and Buddhist empires were beginning to emerge. By the seventh century, the powerful Buddhist Kingdom of Sriwijaya was expanding and it is thought that during this period the spectacular Borobudur Buddhist sanctuary was built in Central Java. The thirteenth century saw the rise of the fabulous Majapahit Hindu empire in East Java, which united the whole of what is now modern day Indonesia and parts of the Malay peninsula, and ruled for two centuries. Many monuments spread through Java such as the Prambanan temple complex near Yogyakarta, the Penataran temple complex in East Java as well as the ethereal temples on the Dieng Plateau are remnants of this glorious period in Indonesia's history

THE CULTURE AND ART

Indonesia is rich in art and culture which are intertwined with religion and age-old traditions from the time of early migrants with Western thoughts brought by Portuguese traders and Dutch colonists. The basic principles which guide life include the concepts of mutual assistance or "gotong royong" and consultations or "musyawarah" to arrive at a consensus or "mufakat" Derived from rural life, this system is still very much in use in community life throughout the country.

Though the legal system is based on the old Dutch penal code, social life as well as the rites of passage are founded on customary or "adat" law which differs from area to area. "Adat" law has a binding impact on Indonesian life and it may be concluded that this law has been instrumental in maintaining equal rights for women in the community. Religious influences on the community are variously evident from island to island

Unlike some countries art forms in Indonesia are not only based on folklore, as many were developed in the courts of former kingdoms such as in Bali, where they are part of religious ceremonies. The famous dance dramas of Java and Bali are derived from Hindu mythology and often feature fragments from the Ramayana and Mahabharata Hindu epics. Highly stylized in movement and costume, dances and the "wayang" drama are accompanied by a full "gamelan" orchestra comprising xylophones, drums, gongs, and in some cases string instruments and flutes. Bamboo xylophones are used in North Sulawesi and the bamboo "angklung" instruments of West Java are well- known for their unique tinkling notes which can be adapted to any melody.

The "Wayang kulit" (leather puppets) of Java is performed with leather puppets held by the puppeteer, who narates the story of one of the famous episodes of the Hindu epics, the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. It is performed against a white screen while a lantern in the background casts the shadows of the characters on the screen, visible from the other side where the spectators are seated.

The "Wayang Golek" (wooden puppets) of West Java is based on the same concept. The crafts of Indonesia vary in both medium and art form. As a whole the people are artistic by nature and express themselves on canvas, wood, metals, clay and stone. The batik process of waxing and dyeing originated in Java centuries ago and classic designs have been modified with modern trends in both pattern and technology. There are several centres of Batik in Java, the major ones being Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Pekalongan and Cirebon.

Batik is also being produced in some other areas as in Bali where local designs are incorporated. Other provinces produce hand-woven cloths of gold and silver threads, silks or cottons with intricate designs. Painting are numerous all over the country, both traditional and contemporary, woodcarvings for ornamentation and furniture, silverwork and engraving form Yogyakarta and Sumatra, filgree from South Sulawesi and Bali with different styles of clay, sandstone and wood sculptures. These are but a few of the handicrafts found in Indonesia

FLORA & FAUNA

British naturalist A. R. Wallace (1823-1931) postulated an imaginary line (named after him Walace's Line) as the dividing line between Asiatic and Australian fauna. It passes between Bali and Lombok islands between Kalimantan and Sulawesi, then continues south of the Philippines and north of Hawaii.

This theory probably explains the presence of species of fauna familiar to both Asia and Australia found in Indonesia. However, there are species indigenous to Indonesia, like the "orang utan" apes of Sumatra and Kalimantan, the giant "komodo" lizards which are the only ones of their kind in the world today roaming free on the island of Komodo; the one homed rhinoceros of Java, the wild "banteng" oxen, tigers and many other species which are now protected in wildlife reserves.

The flora of Indonesia ranges from the tiny orchid to the giant "Rafflesia" plant which has a bloom almost a metre (3.2 feet) in diameter the largest flower in the world and many other species of plant life which can be seen at the Bogor Botanical Gardens.

Agricultural produce include rubber, coconut, coffee, tea, cocoa, corn, spices, kapok, tobacco, rice, etc. and an abundance of vegetable and fruit. Indonesia has some of the richest timber resources in the world and the largest concentration of tropical hardwoods. The total area of statecontrolled forests is approximately 12,9 million hectares. Meranti constitues about 56% of the entire timber export. Other varieties include ramin, agathis, teak, pinewood and a range of other timber is smaller quantity, rattan and bamboo.

CLIMATE

Indonesia's climate is definitely tropical. There is no Autumn or Winter and distinctive "dry" and "wet" seasons share the year. The East Monsoon, from June to September, brings dry weather while the West Monsoon, from December to March is moistureladen, bringing rain.

The transitional period between these two seasons is interspersed by the occasional heavy rain shower, but even in the midst of the West Monsson season, temperatures range from 21 degrees (70_F) to 33 degrees celcious 190_F except at higher altitudes which can be much cooler. Heaviest rainfalls are usually recorded in December and January and humidity is generally between 75% and 100%.

RELIGIOUS

The majority [about 85%) of the population follows Islam. Freedom of religion is implemented by the Indonesian Constitution, however, which is defined in the First Principle of the State Philosophy' "Pancasila", which upholds a "Belief in One Supreme God"

CUSTOMER SERVICE
We know how important every point of our client's need, this is why our English Speaking customer service is stand by to wait for your at : +62 81 246 078 773 call from 08.00 - 18.00 every day to help emergency and last minutes request