Indonesia

Area - The total area of Indonesia is 9,8 million square kilometers, 81% of which is covered by the sea. Indonesia comprises 18,110 islands of different sizes, 60,000 out of which are inhabited.

Location - The Indonesian Archipelago is scattered over both sides of the equator, stretching between Asia and Australia and surrounded by Pacific and Indian Oceans. Indonesia comprises five main archipelagoes: Greater Sunda Islands, Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara), Moluccas, South-East Islands as well as South-West Islands.

Currency - The national Indonesian currency is Rupiah, which comprises 100 sen.
Time zones - With its area, Indonesia lies in three different time zones: (UTC) GMT +7, GMT +8 and GMT +9. More detailed information can be found on: www.timeticker.com/

Population - Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country, with an estimated population of 220 million people, 60% out of which inhabit Java and Bali Islands. It consists of 250 nationalities and ethnic groups.

Language - Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Others, such as English, Arabese, Chinese and Dutch are recognized as trade languages. Apart from that, there are about 300 local dialects in use.

Religion - Although religious freedom is stated by the constitution, the government officially recognizes only six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Most of Indonesians are declared Muslims (86%), followed by Christians (11%), Hindu (2%) and Buddhists (1%). In some regions, animizm is still a practiced religion. 

Culture - The Indonesian cultural mosaic can be noticed in all kinds of arts. The traditional Indonesian culture is strongly bonded with dance, which when professionally performed, is a graceful and precise act of coordinating the dancers' movements. The traditional puppet theater, wayang kulit was started to spread Hindu and Islam religions among the Java inhabitants. The Balinese and Javanese dances tell stories of the traditional Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms that used to rule the Islands. Despite strong influences from outside the country, the majority of ethnic groups remained culturally separate, performing their traditional practices. Apart from dances, woodcarving is another relevant part of Indonesian culture.

UNESCO World Heritage List - Indonesia as the only country in south-east Asia has several sites recognized as having outstanding universal values, and listed on the UNESCO cultural and natural heritage list. These are:

• Borobudur Temple - a famous Buddhist temple located in central Java;

• Prambanan Temple - the largest Hindu temple compound, also located in central Java;

• Komodo National Park - situated on the Lesser Sunda Islands, listed by UNESCO due to the population of the giant lizards also known as 'Komodo dragons' that inhabit the area;

• Lorentz National Park - on Papua Island, with snow mountain caps in the tropical environment;

• Ujung Kulon National Park - located on West Java, with up to 50 Javan rhinoceros, an endangered species;

• Sangiran Early Man Site - upon the Solo River, in the Central Java - with the first hominid fossils discovered there, Sangiran is one of the key sites for the understanding of human evolution;

• Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra.

Climate - Indonesia is located in the extremely humid  equatorial climate zone and partially in the humid subtropical zone. Its climate is affected by two seasons: dry season between April and October as well as monsoonal wet season. The average annual temperature range in the lowlands varies between 25-28 °C and 20-23°C in the mountainous areas. Humidity is on average between 70-90%, a while average annual rainfall varies from 1,000 to 4,000 millimeters.

To see the current weather, please go to: www.wunderground.com

Volcanoes - Indonesia is the World's largest volcanic area, with about 170 volcanoes on its islands. These cone-shaped mountains not only play a major role in the islands' landscape, but also influence their sizes and soil ingredients.