The Emerald Islands of Indonesia

Described as floating emerald islands, for centuries, Indonesia has been a place that draws in people from around the world to include missionaries, European colonizers, backcountry adventurers, Indian and Chinese traders, curious travelers, mining companies, and more. The air of Indonesia has a subtle fragrance of spices and sandalwood. That coupled with the incredible mountains and volcanoes, as well as the pristine beaches and Bali Hai lifestyle, you can see why this has been such an attraction for so long.

Unfortunately, Indonesia has also been a country of war, terrorist attacks, and other unrest. Sadly, even the popular destination island of Bali has been under recent warnings due to clashes in military and independence movements being on the rise. As current as 2002, several bombs were exploded, targeted at western tourists. With this, more than 200 people lost their lives while many others were injured or missing. Therefore, if you are planning a trip to Indonesia, at this time, it comes with great caution. If you do go there, be sure you avoid any kind of public gathering, demonstration, or places of United States interest. Even with the current struggles, we want to tell you about this country because it is not all bad.

Today, more than 216 million people live in Indonesia with almost 10 million in Jakarta, the capital city. When we talk about population diversity, you will see this with the 365 different ethnic and tribal groups living in this one country. Then when you add in 583 dialects, you can imagine the uniqueness of Indonesia, which includes cultures, food, dress, and so on.

Historians believe the first natives to inhabit Indonesia were from Burma or India. In fact, fossils of the Java Man were discovered in 1890, showing that life existed some 500,000 years ago. Later in time, the Malays from southern China and Indochina began to populate this country, estimated around 3000 BC. Then toward the 7th century, the Hindu and Mataram kingdoms appeared in Sumatra and Java, which led to the spread of Islam around the 14th century, forcing the Majapahits to leave, retreating to Bali in the 15th century.

At this time, a powerful Muslim empire had been formed although its influence was short lived, falling to the Portuguese in 1511. Soon, the Dutch replaced the Portuguese, and began to create inroads going into the country. In fact, the Dutch East India Company, which was located in Batavia, had control over the spice trade and by the 18th century, had taken control of Java. Then by the 19th and 20th centuries, the Dutch were controlling Aceh and Bali as well.

During World War II, the Dutch resolve was weakened due to nationalism and Japanese occupation. Finally, sovereignty was transferred to the new Indonesia republic in the year 1949. Although there have been some interesting changes of leadership, periods of discord, and rebellious breakouts, Indonesia came out relatively well. The predominant religion of the country is Islam although elements of Hindu and Buddhism exist. Even though missionaries have gone into Indonesia for a long time, trying hard to convert people to Christianity, very few pockets of population actually accepted this conversion.

Art in Indonesia is something enjoyed by people all over the world. For instance, batik, which is the art of applying wax to cloth and then tie dying it with magnificent color and designs. Today, you will find batik in many homes for its beauty, durability, and incredible designs. Other types of craft form is called Ikat, which is weaving using threads that have been tie-dyed, Songket, a silk cloth with silver or gold threads carefully woven in, and Kris, which are actually artwork decorated with shiny jewels.

As far as food, you will love the various dishes served in Indonesia. For example, favorite snacks include sweet nuts, fruit, biscuits, and potatoes. However, just about every meal consists of rice, which is actually eaten as soup with various hot and spicy side dishes. Fried rice, called Nasi Goreng is the locals favorite, often served with sate, which is skewered meat cooked with a wonderful, spicy peanut sauce. Of course, Indonesia has an abundance of tropical fruits such as guava, durian, mango, papaya, rambutan, starfruit, custard apps, and jackfruit.

Interestingly, the Indonesian archipelago is comprised of over 13,000 islands. Sharing borders with Papua New Guinea and Malaysia, the country stretches down the western coastline of Sumatra where both extinct and active volcanoes exist. Unfortunately, less than 10% of the country is good for farming with the remainder being woodland, mangrove swamp, and forests. Because of the diversity of the land, you see a diversity of flora and fauna.

As far as wildlife, it is common to see tigers, elephants, orangutans, leopards, and then around Bali, massive sea turtles. Many of the islands to include Java, Irian Jaya, Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Kalimantan boasts beautiful national parks to protect certain creatures like the famous Komodo dragon. Sadly, we see many of the rainforests beginning to decline, primarily due to logging for the tropical hardwoods.

The one thing you will notice immediately when entering Indonesia is that the climate is hot and in the wet season, hot and wet. Regardless of where you go, expect temperatures to average between 85 and 90 degrees. As mentioned, Indonesia is home to hundreds of ethnic groups. Because of this, you have a huge choice of events and festivals. For fun, you can also enjoy a number of water sports such as snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming, which is incredible along the world’s most gorgeous beaches. However, surfing is also a huge activity, usually done in Bali, Java, and Sumatra, along with windsurfing.

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Last Updated: 10/19/2006 3:14:00 PM

The Emerald Islands of Indonesia

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