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Destination : INDONESIA

The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia, is located in Southeast Asia. It is a nation consiting of over 13,000 islands (some publications cite more than 17,000 islands). Only 6000 of these islands are inhabited. The islands spread between the Indian and Pacific oceans, linking the continent of Asia and Australia. The name Indonesia is composed of two Greek words: "Indos" which means Indian and "nesos" which means islands.
In 1292, Marco Polo became one of the first recorded Europeans to set foot on the islands, but it wasn't until much later that the Portuguese arrived in pursuit of spices. In 1509, Portuguese trading posts were established in the strategic commercial centre of Malacca on the Malay peninsula and it was from here that they began to control trade Routes.
The Dutch followed at the turn of the 16th century and succeeded in ousting the Portuguese to the easternmost islands where some ports were controlled by another major European power, Spain. The Dutch expanded their control of the entire area into the 17th and 18th centuries and retained it for the most part until the outbreak of World War 11 in 1939. The Dutch East Indies, as it was known at this time, fell under British rule for a short period during the Napoleonic Wars of 1811-1816, when Holland was occupied by France and Dutch power overseas was limited. While under British control the Lt. Governor for Java and its dependencies was Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who was known for his liberal attitude towards the people under colonial rule and his research on the history of Java. With the return of the Dutch a relative calm was interrupted by long and bloody wars launched by the local people against the Dutch colonial government. It was from this period that the independence movements of the 20th century, became stronger and more purposeful. The surrender of the Japanese in 1945 signalled the end of the Second World War in Asia and also the start of independence. In the wake of global perceptions of freedom, Indonesia proclaimed its independence on August 17 that same year.

But the returning Dutch bitterly resisted Indonesian nationalist movements and intermittent fighting followed. Under the auspices of the United Nations at the Hague, an agreement was finally reached on December 9, 1949, It was from this time that Indonesia's sovereignty over the former Dutch East Indies was officially recognized. Current issues include: implementing IMF-mandated reforms of the banking sector, effecting a transition to a popularly elected government after four decades of authoritarianism, addressing charges of cronyism and corruption, holding the military accountable for human rights violations, and resolving growing separatist pressures in Aceh and Irian Jaya. On 30 August 1999 a provincial referendum for independence was overwhelmingly approved by the people of Timor Timur. Concurrence followed by Indonesia's national legislature, and the name East Timor was provisionally adopted. The independent status of East Timor - now under UN administration - has yet to be formally established.

The five main islands are: Sumatra, which is about 473,606 sq. km. In size; the most fertile and densely populated islands, Java/Madura, 132,107 sq. km; Kalimantan, which comprises two-thirds of the island of Borneo and measures 539,460 sq. km; Sulawesi, 189,216 sq. km; and Irian Jaya, 421,981 sq. km, which is part of the world’s second larges island, New Guinea. Indonesia’s other islands are smaller in size.

The archipelago is divided into three groups. The island of Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the small islands in-between, lie on the Sunda Shelf which begin on the coasts of Malaysia and Indo China, where the sea depth does not exceed 700 feet, Irian Jaya which is part of the island of New Guinea, and the Aru Islands le on the Sahul Shelf, which stretches northwards from the Australian coast. Here the sea depth is similar to that of the Sunda Shelf.

Located between these two shelves is the island group of Nusatenggara, Maluku and Sulawesi, where the sea depth reaches 15.000 feet. Coastal plains have been developed around the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Irian Jaya.The land area is generally covered by thick tropical rain forests, where fertile soils are continuously replenished by volcanic eruptions like those on the island of Java. The country is predominantly mountainous with some 400 volcanoes, of which 100 are active. Mountains higher than 9.000 feet are found on the islands of Sumatra (Mt. Leuser and Mt. Kerinci), Java (Mt. Gede, Mt. Tangkubanperahu, Mt. Ciremai, Mt. Kawi, Mt. Kelud, Mt. Semeru and Mt. Raung), Sulawesi ((Mt. Lompobatang and Mt. Rantekombala), Bali (M. Batur and Mt. Agung), Lombok (Mt. Rinjani), and Sumbawa (Mt. Tambora). The highest mountain is the perpetually snow-capped Mandala Top (15.300 feet) in the Jaya Wijaya mountain range of Irian Jaya.

Indonesia abounds in monuments of the past. There are the temples of the Buddhist and Hindu dynasties; Hindu temples of Prambanan and the Dieng Plateau, the "kraton" (palace) of sultans in Surakarta, Yogyakarta, the Maimun palace of the Sultanate of Deli (in Medan), the Hall of Justice in Bali, ruins of ancient fortresses and museums, mosques and churches steeped in folklore. Graves of past royalty and national heroes are also monuments whereas many war graves of World War II still hold a certain interest. The main destination areas contain many of these places of interest which are easily accessible.

The nation's capital, Jakarta, has a fascinating and significant history. It started as a small harbour town called Sunda Kelapa, but its founding dates back to the year 157 when it was named Jayakarta by Fatahillah of the neighbouring Sultanate of Banten. The name Jayakarta means City of Great Victory but this was later changed to Batavia under the Dutch. Now as Jakarta, the centre of government, business and industry, it spreads over an area of more than 650 sq.km 1410 sq miles) and has a population of over eight million people. It is also designated as a special territory, (Daerah Khusus Ibukota - DKI), which means that is is administered by a governor and enjoys the same status of a province.

Jakarta is the main gateway to Indonesia. It is a contrast of modern western architecture and traditional Indonesian culture. Its rapid growth into a metropolitan city reflects the economic, political, social and industrial development of the nation. In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with multi-star luxury hotels, fine restaurants, exciting nightlife and modern shopping centres as well as tourist attractions such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah {Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park), restored colonial period buildings, marine resorts in the Bay of Jakarta, and an extensive beach recreation complex.