About Indonesia

What I know about Indonesia now, before my trip, from the internet, a handbook.

• The territory of Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. It includes 17,508 islands. About 6,000 of these islands are inhabited by people. The five main islands: Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi and Papua (New Guinea).

• As it is close to the equator, Indonesia has a tropical climate. Average temperatures vary very little through the year, ranging from about 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.
• Indonesia is a segment of the Ring of fire that includes around 75% of the world’s volcanoes. Situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is home to numerous volcanoes, an estimated 150 volcanoes throughout the entire country. In general they are not a threat, and many volcanic areas make great tourist attractions. However, sometimes there can be eruptions. 

  

  Mount Bromo (Gunung Bromo) East Java

• Indonesia is home to thousands of different plant and animal species. It has the second highest level of biodiversity (a measure of the number of species) in the world. 
• As much as 16,129,256 hectares of Indonesia's forest area have been converted into forest preservations. This way, it is possible to protect and preserve various sprecies of animals and plants.

Bird of paradise

Comodo

Indonesia's Coral Reef

People

• There are over 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia, each with their own customs and traditions. This makes Indonesia extremely culturally diverse. 
• Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the national language of Indonesia, used in schools and other state-run enterprises, as well as in the media. However, Indonesiah as over 700 indigenous languages, meaning that many Indonesians are bilingual, speaking their indigenous language at home and Indonesian at work or school.
• 86% of Indonesians are Muslim, 9% — Christian (Protestants, Catholics), 3% profess Hinduism, 2% — Buddhists and other.
• Spices (especially chili), coconut milk, fish and chicken are common ingredients in Indonesian cooking.

•  Indonesia stretches 5,120 kilometers from east to west. Because of this, the country  covers three time zones.
• The time in my hometown Tomsk (UTC +7) and  in WIT is the same.