Indonesia

Did you know that Indonesia has more than 17500 islands ?
The country occupies an area of 1,904,569 km² or approximately 3 times France.
In 2018, the population is 262,787,403 inhabitants, it is the 4th most populous country in the world after China, India, and the United States!

The islands are divided into several archipelagos:

1. THE Greater Sunda Islands (Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, Bangka, Madura, Belitung, Buton, Nias, Siberut)
2. There New Guinea
3. THE Moluccas (Halmahera, Seram, Yos Sudarso, Buru, Wetar, Yamdena, Waigeo)
4. THE Lesser Sunda Islands (Timor, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Bali, Lombok)

Let's take a closer look at some of the most important islands.

 

Java Island

 

The island of Java is located east of Sumatra, west of Bali, and south of Borneo.

The length of the island is approximately 1000km, and its area of 128300km². Its climate is equatorial.

Jarkarta, the capital of Indonesia is located in the northwest.

The 2nd city in population is Surabaya, and the 3rd the city of Bandung, which is renowned for its textile industry.

The main tourist places on the island of Java are certainly the city of Jakarta, the special region of yogacard with its many Buddhist (including Borobudur) and Shivaist (including Prambanan) temples, as well as the mountains of Bromo close to Surabaya.

 

 

 

Kalimantan (Indonesian part of the island of Borneo)

 

Borneo is located north of Java, east of Sumatra and west of the Moluccas.

The area of the island is 743,300 km², more than that of France, which is 643,801 km². It is the third largest island in the world after Greenland and New Guinea.

The Indonesian part of the island has 4 provinces:

• West Kalimantan (Capital: Pontianak)
• Central Kalimantan (Capital: Palangkaraya)
• South Kalimantan (Capital: Banjarmasin)
• East Kalimantan (Capital: Samarinda)

 The island of Borneo is obviously known for its humid tropical primary forest which houses a biodiversity very important. Unfortunately many forest fires are lit by companies in Kalimantan with the aim of planting oil palms. We can distinguish the peoples living on the coasts (mainly Malays and Chinese immigrants), and the peoples living in the land. In the interior, the indigenous population of Borneo, called Dayak brings together about 450 ethnic groups.  

  The economy is based on the production of drink, of oil, of gas, of coal and D'Palm oil. The main points of tourist interest are, the discovery of nature (fauna and flora) in the species conservation parks whether in the land or in the seabed, as well as the meeting of the Dayak culture.

 

 

Sumatra Island

 

Sumatra is the most northwestern island of Indonesia.

 

Sulawesi Island

 

The island of Sulawesi is located east of Kalimantan.

 

Bali island

 

The island of Bali located east of Java is the most touristic of all the islands of Indonesia.

 

Lombok Island

 

The island of Lombok is located east of Bali, and like this it is also starting to be quite touristy. The Gili Islands, northwest of Lombok are surely the most touristic, and are very popular for diving.