INDONESIA AT GLANCE

As an ethically diverse country with a vast population of 250 million people, Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation and the world’s largest archipelago, consists of five major islands, namely : Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya and of course some smaller groups of islands. Java Island is the most fertile and deadly populated. Indonesia consist of the Islands whereby spread all over a crossroad two oceans, which is THE PACIFIC and THE INDIAN and bridges two continents, namely ASIA and AUSTRALIA.

INDONESIA derives its name from two Greek Words, which are ‘INDOS’ meaning Indian and ‘NESOS’ to mean Island, so thus giving INDONESIA and it is archipelagic country with more than 17.508 islands, according to the Indonesian Naval Hydro-Oceanographic office but only 6000 are inhabited. This strategic position has always influenced the cultural, social and economic life of the country with a warm and pleasant tropical climate. Because of its location at the equatorial line, there is no autumn or winter but rather dry and rainy seasons and to be distinctive with a humid atmosphere between 75 and 100%.

This makes it a more that just spacious and beautiful country for its inhabitants and its valued business and resorts visitors. With 230 million people, it made INDONESIA is the fourth populous nation in the world and a land area of about 1.9 million square kilometres. Close to 583 languages and dialects are spoken in the archipelago.

INDONESIA it became the REPUBLIC was proclaimed its independence from the Dutch Colonial Rule on the 17th of August 1945 and of course, through a heavy struggle in developing politically and economically, Indonesia has successfully obtained its independence. Now INDONESIA is governed by free and fairly elected government, consisting of 33 provinces, with JAKARTA as the capital city and the current president is SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO. He is the 6th successful president among the previous president who governed the Republic of Indonesia since independence in 1945.

With a democratically elected government, Indonesia’s national motto is ‘UNITY IN DIVERSITY”, means : the spirit of togetherness in both Economic and Developmental issues or perhaps can also be meant differentials of ethnic groups but leaving togetherness with peaceful and harmony, so makes Indonesia an aptly is blessed with Fabulous Monuments which are remnants of Indonesia’s glorious past, rich in arts and cultural artefacts which are intertwined with religion and age-old traditions from the time of early migrants. Although Indonesia consists of various ethnic groups, cultures and religions, as well as large areas to settle, there is not any serious problem among the Indonesian people as regard of the DIVERSITY.

Those pluralistic people live in peace and enjoy good welfare because they are well managed. In this case, the position of government is only providing facilities and guidance to achieve harmony, unity and association as well as appreciation among each other’s. Freedom of Religion, it is outlined in the Indonesian Constitution. The majority of 85% of the population follows Islam and of course other religions are also followed and performed by the communities, such as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other local traditional believes. However, the First Principles of the State Philosophy of INDONESIA, called “Pancasila” is the philosophical basis of the Indonesian State comprises five inseparable and interrelated principles, namely :

1. Belief in the one and only God,

2. Just and civilised humanity,

3. The Unity of Indonesia,

4. Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst     representatives and

5. Social justice for whole of the people of Indonesia.

The national language of Indonesia is “BAHASA INDONESIA” which is similar to Malay, written in Roman Script and based on European orthography. In its spread throughout the country, its vocabulary and idioms have been enriched by a great number of local languages.

To keep pace with religious, social and cultural progress, many words and terms have been derived from foreign languages, including Dutch, Chinese, Sanskrit, Arabic and later, Portuguese. Although Bahasa Indonesia has become the Lingua Franca, local languages and dialects continue to be spoken and will not be abolished. The Coat of Arms, the Indonesian coat of arms consists of a golden eagle, called “Garuda” that is a figure from ancient Indonesian epics. It is also pictured on many temples from the 6th Century.

The eagle is a symbol of creative energy. Its principal colour, gold, suggest the greatness of the nation. The black colour represents nature. There are 17 feathers on each wing, 8 on the tail and 45 on the neck. These figures stand for the date of Indonesia’s independence proclamation : 17 August 1945. As a tourism promoting country, it is important to note that English is widely spoken in all designated tourism area. Dutch is also spoken in the big cities and French, Spanish as well as Arabic are also increasing in its popularity at the Hotels, Restaurants and to its designated area.