An archipelago of about 17,000 islands, Indonesia is situated in Southeast Asia and is home to more than 254 million people. The fourth largest country in the world by population, Indonesia is a collective story of individual identities of all the islands that it encompasses. From terrific landscape to quaint beaches, every island has its own history, rituals, practices, culture and ethos that contributes to the varied, spectacular experience that Indonesia is.
Indonesia shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia.The allure of the group of islands that the country is made up of goes back to the 7th century. This was when the state of Srivijaya had trade relations with several regions of India and China. As time went by, more trade and cultural exchanges lead to a new establishment of norms and practices. Several things were thus assimilated into Indonesian culture. The history of the religions found here can also be linked to the trade links, the coming of Europeans and Muslim traders and the resulting struggle to gain a stronghold over proceedings. For over three centuries, the Dutch were the colonists until the situation drastically changed post World War II, leading to independence.
The main official language is a Malay variant, simply known as Indonesian. Although there are several dialects that are spoken in the islands, the official language is a mix of the prime dialect, already used in the island nation. The variations show up in the cuisine too. There is an influence of the Middle East and the Chinese, Indian and European too in the local cuisine. Vegetables, spices and meat makes up the majority of the dishes, rice is a common factor, and is a major part of the local food items.
Indonesia's tropical climate and diverse geography supports the world's second highest level of biodiversity (after Brazil), which is a mix of the Asian and the Australasian species. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation (about 88%), while around seven percent of the population is Christian, and the rest include Buddhists and Hindus among others.
An archipelago of about 17,000 islands, Indonesia is situated in Southeast Asia and is home to more than 254 million people. The fourth largest country in the world by population, Indonesia is a co...
