Indonesia - interesting facts

For a tourist who is just beginning to get acquainted with exotic countries, almost everything at the airport seems unusual. It is especially interesting to learn about Indonesia for those who already happened to get acquainted with this country. We suggest you learn a lot of amazing about this state and its most remarkable places.

20 facts about Indonesia

So, let's begin our acquaintance with this amazing country:

1. Islands . The territory of Indonesia consists of 17 804 islands, of which almost 10 thousand have not yet been named. It includes 5 large islands ( Sumatra , Java , Kalimantan , New Guinea, Sulawesi ) and 32 archipelagoes: 30 small and 2 large (Molucca and Lesser Sunda Islands).
2. Island of Kalimantan. A unique place, because its territory is divided at once between the three states, and two different parts are known to us as the Indonesian Kalimantan and Borneo in Malaysia . It is Indonesia's largest island and the third largest in the world.
3. Sumatra is the second contender for the title of the largest island of the country. It boasts an impressive flow of tourists and oil production. And then there is the equator line, and you literally can be at once on two hemispheres.
4. Land borders. Being quite large (1,905,000 sq. Km.) State, on land Indonesia borders only with Malaysia.
5. Jakarta - the capital of Indonesia - attracts tourists with a huge number of attractions . The population of the urban agglomeration of Jakarta is no less than 23 million people, and is rapidly increasing.
6. The name of the country comes from the Latin words "India" and "nesos", which means "India" and "islands" respectively.
7. Temple of Tanah Lot . If we talk about interesting facts about Indonesia, we have to admit that everything in this state differs from the one we are accustomed to. For example, the temple here is not always something typical even for Eastern culture . It's about the temple of Tanah Lot, which is located on a cliff in the ocean, and you can not enter the tourist there. There is nothing supernatural in this, as during the construction there was still land, and now the temple literally stands in the water.
8. The Tsitarum River . Not all interesting facts concern exclusively the beauty of Indonesia. Throughout the world, the Tsitarum River is not known for its unique flora and fauna, but for its pollution. The river is in fact dead, as instead of fish there is only rubbish in it, and now the fishermen no longer take the fishing rods, but the nets for catching garbage. It they hand over for processing and receive for it money for which they live. Tsitarum, or Chitarum - the dirtiest river not only in Indonesia, but all over the world, and bringing it back to life today already seems like something of a fantasy.
9. Unexplored territories. Tourists are usually offered a certain list of islands for recreation, so few people know about the existence and existence of many other territories. But if you want exotics, study the remote from the civilization and therefore the most interesting in the cultural plan of the islands of Indonesia.
10. Animal and plant world. Due to its vast territory, flora and fauna are very rich and diverse. There are many species that occur exclusively in the territory of the country, and many of the endemics were discovered only recently.
11. Dialects. If you drive through the country, then in every corner of it there are dialects, the so-called dialect. In Indonesia, people speak 580 languages! Just imagine: literally every few kilometers, and they will turn to you in another dialect! The official language in the country is Indonesian.
12. Komodo Dragons. One of the most amazing representatives of the Indonesian fauna is the Komodo lizard. These lizards are considered the largest on Earth, not for nothing they were nicknamed dragons. Varan grow to 3 m and are dangerous predators. The territory of the two islands, "native" for the lizards - Komodo and Rincha - is united in one national park .
13. An amazing fauna. There are other unusual animals in Indonesia:
    • the Javanese peacock;
    • barking red deer muntzhak;
    • mimicking octopus;
    • the east tarsier;
    • pig-deer babyruss;
    • Sumatran tiger;
    • the Javan rhinoceros.
14. Volcanoes . The islands of Indonesia are part of the Pacific seismic belt, so earthquakes are not uncommon here. Volcanoes are often erupted, of which there are more than 400 in the country. What does the world-famous Krakatau alone cost? And on the active volcano Rinjani desperate tourists even make ascents.
15. Tambora . This volcano is located on the island of Sumbawa . Its powerful eruption in 1815 had a strong influence not only on the nature of Indonesia, but also on the climate, the economy and even the culture of different countries of the world. This year has forever entered the world history: then in North America and Europe there passed the so-called "year without summer", and the volcanic eruption itself is called the largest in the history of mankind.
16. Jaya summit at 4884 m is the highest mountain in the world, located on the island. It is located in the west of New Guinea.
17. Agriculture. Indonesia is the world's largest producer of nutmeg. Also rice, coconuts, corn, bananas, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, cassava, tobacco, etc. are grown here. The authorities of the country are making a big bet on tourism, actively developing this direction.
18. Bali . The main resort of the country is considered to be this paradise island. There is a well-developed tourist infrastructure, there are many hotels, restaurants and entertainment for every taste. However, not everyone knows that Bali is very different from the rest of Indonesia. For example, on this popular island most of the local inhabitants profess Buddhism, while in the rest of the state the most widespread Islam.
19. Attitude towards a woman. Despite the fact that Indonesia as a whole is considered a Muslim country, its women are not oppressed, as in most Asian countries. On the contrary, they are not limited in freedom, they should not cover a person, they have the right to work, conduct business and participate in state affairs.
20. National cuisine . And, finally, another interesting fact about Indonesia is that some dishes of its cuisine can surprise even the most sophisticated adherents of gastronomic tourism. So, for example, in Taban village aborigines treat tourists with an amazing dish called "ampo". If you do not go into details, this is the land, specially prepared and baked in clay pots.