INDONESIA
Quick trip to Indonesia from Singapore before flying back to the US. I'd met enough travelers over the past year that I rule out Bali and the Gili Islands and instead focused on Jakarta and nearby areas.
JAKARTA
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BOROBUDUR
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BANDUNG
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BADUY VILLAGE
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COUNTRY BACKGROUND
252,164,800 - 4th most populous
88% are Sunni Muslim - most populous Muslim country in the world
735,358 square miles - 15th largest - 17,508 islands - 6,000 are inhabited
300 distinct native ethnic groups in Indonesia, and 742 different languages and dialects - largest group Javanese ~ 42% of population
36% of its 1,531 species of bird and 39% of its 515 species of mammal being endemic
The country is the largest economy in Southeast Asia - 17th in the World
Current President: Joko Widodo
HISTORY
600s - 1200s: Various Buddhist and Hindu Rulers lead agricultural based kingdoms
1200s: Muslim traders arrive, bring Islam. Country slowly converts, starting in Sumatra - local cultural preferences shape Islam
1512: Portuguese arrive and take control of spice trade
1602: Dutch East India Company established
1800: Dutch East India country goes bankrupt; Dutch East Indies established as a colony of the Netherlands
1940s: Japanese WWII occupation ended Dutch rule
1945: After Japan surrender, Indonesia declares independence, Dutch resist. Dutch cave to international pressure and abandon fight for control of the country in 1949. Approximately 100,000 people killed during independence fight.
1945 - 1967: Surkano lead the independence movement, became quasi dictator; survived several coups and political conflicts before eventually losing control of the country to General Suharto (U.S. backed).
1968 - 1999: Suharto "presidency" - New Order administration established strong, centralized government. Embraced free-market capitalism which lead to increase economic investment and diplomatic support, although also suppressed minority viewpoints and ethnicities.
1998: Asian Financial Crisis - Indonesia hardest hit, currency goes into free fall and economy shrank ~ 14%. Suharto resigns.
2004: First direct presidential elections; democracy expanding and economy improving
88% are Sunni Muslim - most populous Muslim country in the world
735,358 square miles - 15th largest - 17,508 islands - 6,000 are inhabited
300 distinct native ethnic groups in Indonesia, and 742 different languages and dialects - largest group Javanese ~ 42% of population
36% of its 1,531 species of bird and 39% of its 515 species of mammal being endemic
The country is the largest economy in Southeast Asia - 17th in the World
Current President: Joko Widodo
HISTORY
600s - 1200s: Various Buddhist and Hindu Rulers lead agricultural based kingdoms
1200s: Muslim traders arrive, bring Islam. Country slowly converts, starting in Sumatra - local cultural preferences shape Islam
1512: Portuguese arrive and take control of spice trade
1602: Dutch East India Company established
1800: Dutch East India country goes bankrupt; Dutch East Indies established as a colony of the Netherlands
1940s: Japanese WWII occupation ended Dutch rule
1945: After Japan surrender, Indonesia declares independence, Dutch resist. Dutch cave to international pressure and abandon fight for control of the country in 1949. Approximately 100,000 people killed during independence fight.
1945 - 1967: Surkano lead the independence movement, became quasi dictator; survived several coups and political conflicts before eventually losing control of the country to General Suharto (U.S. backed).
1968 - 1999: Suharto "presidency" - New Order administration established strong, centralized government. Embraced free-market capitalism which lead to increase economic investment and diplomatic support, although also suppressed minority viewpoints and ethnicities.
1998: Asian Financial Crisis - Indonesia hardest hit, currency goes into free fall and economy shrank ~ 14%. Suharto resigns.
2004: First direct presidential elections; democracy expanding and economy improving