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Indonesia is a truly vast and beautifully diverse country of more than 17,000 islands spread across same 5,000 kilometers of tropical equatorial ocean. Spanning the seas between Asia and Australia, Indonesia is the world's largest archipelaga. The major islands of Indonesia are Sumatra, Jawa, Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi dan Irian Jaya.
Superimposed on the map of the Europe, Indonesia impressively stretches from London all the way ta Moscow, a distance as far as Ireland ta the Caspian Sea. Within this stretch of lands and sea are hundreds of smoldering vo1canoes that gave birth ta the rich agricultural lands of the archipelaga. Verdant rice terraces clothe the loami~g mountains and dazzling white beaches line the deep azure seas. Vast rain forests and dense mangroves provide refuge for the country's impressive fauna and flora.
Today, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. Within this vast archipelaga live over 200 million people, scattered across the country's thousands of islands. More than 300 distinct ethnic groups have found and made their homes here, speaking hundreds of different languages and dialects. The nation's diversity owes much ta history and geographic position. Located on major international trade routes for more than two millennia, all of the world's major religions and cultures have brought their influences into the archipelago.
Records show remains of man's earliest relatives, suggesting that Indonesia was not the "backwaters", but possibly a cradle of mankind.
Over the years, the archipelaga feit the compelling influences of Indianization, followed by the spread of Islam, the arrival of European colonialism and the dawn of a modern and eventually independent Indonesia in the 20th century. Indonesia has freely nurtured its diversity, today choosing a befitting national motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, meaning "Unity in Diversity".
Source: Department of Culture and Tourism - Republic of Indonesia |
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