Indonesia is located in South East Asia and situated between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This country is home to over 300 ethnic groups who speak over 700 languages, as well being the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world.
It is recorded that modern man reached the region around 43,000 BCE, however, Austronesians – with whom the majority of Indonesians today descend from – arrived on the island around 2000 BCE from Taiwan.
Indonesia’s ideal agricultural conditions as well as its geographical position has been both its strength and weakness resulting in the evolution of towns and small kingdoms and the eventual trade system between the island, Chinese dynasties and Indian kingdoms in the 7th century CE. The weakness is due to its appeal to colonialists during the Age of Discovery, between the 15th and 17th centuries CE, which resulted not only in battles between Muslim and Christian traders over the spice trading monopoly, but also led to the 350-year residence of the Dutch.
Although Indonesia is the world’s largest island country with more than seventeen thousand islands, it shares its land borders with Malaysia to the North, and East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the West. Its location along the equator allows it to experience a relatively even tropical climate year-round with no extremes of summer or winter, but, does have a wet and dry season so research before you book!
Bali, the most popular tourist island in the archipelago, is known for its warm hospitality, religious sites, meditation retreats, beaches, volcanic mountains, and nightlife!
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