Indonesia

Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, has 203 million people living on nearly one thousand permanently settled islands. Some two-to-three hundred ethnic groups with their own languages and dialects range in population from the Javanese (about 70 million) and Sundanese (about 30 million) on Java, to peoples numbering in the thousands on remote islands. The nature of Indonesian national culture is somewhat analogous to that of India - multicultural, rooted in older societies and interethnic relations, and developed in twentieth century nationalist struggles against a European imperialism that nonetheless forged that nation and many of its institutions. The national culture is most easily observed in cities but aspects of it now reach into the countryside as well. Indonesia's borders are those of the Netherlands East Indies, which was fully formed at the beginning of the twentieth century, though Dutch imperialism began early in the seventeenth century. Indonesian culture has historical roots, institutions, customs, values, and beliefs that many of its people share, but it is also a work in progress that is undergoing particular stresses at the beginning of the twenty-first century.







The name Indonesia, meaning Indian Islands, was coined by an Englishman, J. R. Logan, in Malaya in 1850. Derived from the Greek, Indos (India) and nesos (island), it has parallels in Melanesia, "black islands"; Micronesia, "small islands"; and Polynesia, "many islands." A German geographer, Adolf Bastian, used it in the title of his book, Indonesien , in 1884, and in 1928 nationalists adopted it as the name of their hoped-for nation.






Most islands are multiethnic, with large and small groups forming geographical enclaves. Towns within such enclaves include the dominant ethnic group and some members of immigrant groups. Large cities may consist of many ethnic groups; some cities have a dominant majority. Regions, such as West Sumatra or South Sulawesi, have developed over centuries through the interaction of geography (such as rivers, ports, plains, and mountains), historical interaction of peoples, and political-administrative policies. Some, such as North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and East Java are ethnically mixed to varying degrees; others such as West Sumatra, Bali, and Aceh are more homogeneous. Some regions, such as South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, and South Sulawesi, share a long-term Malayo-Muslim coastal influence that gives them similar cultural features, from arts and dress to political and class stratification to religion. Upland or upriver peoples in these regions have different social, cultural, and religious orientations, but may feel themselves or be perforce a part of that region. Many such regions have become government provinces, as are the latter three above. Others, such as Bali, have not.
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

*BALI* Elaphant cave-1200 years old Dance and offerings Incence Festival Barong dance Balinese dancer Legong-dance Fire dance Mask dance  dead ceremony Traditional funeral with a procession through the city and subsequent public burning of the dead.The dead man is in the bull. Klungkung, Bali. *BALI* The culture of Bali Water Temple Ulun Danu Tempel Bali Bali-Jimparan Sunrise from Gunung Batur. Lovina Beach Sunset.   ndonesia is a land where different religions and communities live in perfect harmony. Nowhere is this more evident than in the famous Gereja Blenduk is oldest church in Central Java. The church located in Jalan Letjen Soprato in Semarang. Semarang’s Gereja Blenduk Church is the oldest Church in Central Java and has become an icon of Semarang. This Protestant Church in Semarang was built by the Dutch community way back in 1753. Since then, every Sunday, the Gereja Blenduk Church comes alive to the sound of hymns and prayers In 1894 Semarang’s Gereja Blenduk Church underwent extensive renovation, under the guidance of W. Westmaas and H.P.A de Wilde.  It is the architecture of the Gereja Blenduk Church that is its very interesting feature and it’s on this account that it’s visited by every tourist in Semarang. Blenduk means “dome” and the large copper dome of this beautiful church is one of its very notable features. Besides, the Gereja Blenduk Church in Semarang has other features characteristic of 18th architecture. The ground plan of this Church is structured on a Greek cross. It also has four pillars and a beautiful classical portico. When in 1894, the Church was being renovated the beauty of this Church was enhanced by the addition of two towers in front of it. The interiors of the Gereja Blenduk Church are original and haven’t ever been tampered with.You can still see the chairs used by the original congregation. A huge organ in the baroque style of the 18th century will capture your attention, as soon as you enter the Church.This organ is really fascinating because it goes back to the 18th century. It can neither be restored nor is it working and it remains as a silent spectator to the Church’s glorious history. Note the iron stairs that lead straight up to the organ specially constructed by Pletterji Den Haag.  Once you’re done admiring the oldest Church in Central Java, you can tour Nillmi Building and the other buildings nearby built in Dutch colonial times that are equally worth a visit.  *BALI* Offering Colours of Bali Aga-First known inhabitants of the island. Banana flower. Picking coffee beans. *JAVA* Merdeka Square Monas-national monument. Gereja Blenduk. Old city Sunrise over the Tengger Caldera, Bromo and Semeru. Taxi Tea pickers Sweetie! Borobodur Buddha Statue - Mendut Tempel - Central Java. Candi Sukuh-Surakarta, Java. PRAMBANAN - Hindutempel. *JAVA*  *BOROBUDUR TEMPLE* Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. *KALIMANTAN* Rain forest Floating market Contrasts Evening at the river Market in Borneo Morning in Kalimantan Islamic Center-Samarinda-East-Borneo. Taxi Kalimantan Samarinda Dayak lady *LESSER SUNDA ISLANDS* Banda-Udara Komodo Bena Village Bena traditional village with megalith stones in mid yards of village symbolize grand and spirit to their creator pass their ancestor.   Bena Kelimutu is a volcano, close to the town of Moni in central Flores Island of Indonesia containing three summit crater lakes of varying colors Labuan Bajo Labuan Bajo Maumere-Flores Sunset-Satonda is a fascinating uninhabited volcanic island in Indonesia, home to a large colony of fruit bats. Sunset in the Lesser Sunda Islands near Rinca Ebulobo A stratovolcano located in the south-central part of the island of Flores, Indonesia. *LOMBOK*   Lombok   Gunung Rinjani   Sasak surf city   Pusuk pass   Gili Island and Bali from Lombok   Sedanggila Waterfall - Senaru   Rain forest       Bungalow   Fishermen

Fiji

Tropical Islands of Fiji


The Republic of the Fiji Islands, or Fiji, is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. The country occupies an archipelago with two sizable islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, where the majority of inhabitants live, and is joined by over eight hundred islands, with about one hundred regularly inhabited. The name Fiji is the old Tongan word for the islands, which is turn derived from the Fijian name Viti.

Fiji consists of 322 islands, of which about one third are inhabited. The two most important islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Viti Levu hosts the capital city of Suva, and is home to nearly three quarters of the population. The islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1200 m, and covered with tropical forests. Other important towns include Nadi, (location of the international airport) as well as Labasa, Lautoka, and Savusavu. Other islands and island groups include Taveuni and Kadavu (the third and fourth largest islands respectively, the Mamanuca Group (just outside Nadi) and Yasawa Group, which are popular tourist destinations, the Lomaiviti Group, outside of Suva, and the remote Lau Group.