Visa Information for Indonesia: "Visa on Arrival" - for 25 US$ (approx. 20 Euro) you receive at the Airport in Indonesia a turist visa valid for 30 days.
A recent satellite photo released by the country's Ministry of Research and Technology confirmed that the country consists of exactly 18.110 islands! Over a thousand more than the figure often published in various media and guide books. Undoubtly Indonesia is the word's largest country in terms of numbers of islands, much larger than the combined archipelago countries of Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Only about 6,000 islands are inhabited.
Indonesia is situated between two continents, Asia and Australia, and two oceans, the Pacific and the Indian. Bali, Java, Sumatra and Borneo were all once part of the Asia continent, while the eastern half belonged to the Australia continent. This natural phenomenon dictates the natural habitats and faunas now existing in the two opposing areas.
Even more interesting is the fact that the shallow water, especially in the eastern half, is the perfect habitat for various corals and fishes, making the triangle area between Bali, the Philippines and Irian Jaya (Papua) a paradise for divers worldwide.
Here an interesting link to our KOMODO DRAGONS
| Capital |
Jakarta |
| Inhabitants |
+/- 210 Millionen |
| Language |
Bahasa Indonesia (national language)
all together 583 languages and dialects |
| Currency |
Indonesian Rupiah (Rp.)
1 € = according to daily rate 11.000 up to 12.000 Rp
1 US$ = according to daily rate 9.000 up to 10.000 Rp |
| Climate |
The main variable of Indonesia's climate is not temperature or air pressure, but rainfall. Split by the equator, the archipelago is almost entirely tropical in climate, with the coastal plains averaging 28°C, the inland and mountain areas averaging 26°C, and the higher mountain regions, 23°C. The area's relative humidity ranges between 70 and 90 percent. Winds are moderate and generally predictable |
| Sea Area |
7,9 million square meter (81% of the total area of the country) |
| Territory |
1,9 million square meter |
| Time Zone |
MEZ + 6 h |
| Area Code |
00 62 |
| Internet Code |
.id |
Cuisine in Indonesia
Indonesia has one of the world's great cuisines, its influences originating from all corners of the globe. Located at the crossroads of the ancient world, astride the great trade routes between the Middle East and Asia, wave after wave of traders, adventurers and immigrants have, since the Middle Ages, been drawn by the riches of these Spice Islands.
Thus, nature and history have conspired to give Indonesia a cuisine as varied and highly seasoned as its thousands of islands and its hundreds of ethnic groups. From India came curries, cucumber, eggplant, Indian mustard, cowpeas. The Chinese brought the wok and stir-frying, Chinese mustard, and vegetables such as brassica and Chinese cabbage. From Arabia came typical Middle Eastern gastronomic techniques and dishes such as kebab and flavorful goat stews.
From the surrounding seas as well as from fresh water fisheries fish is abundant and of great variety, such as lobsters, oysters, prawns and shrimps, squid, crab, etc. Fish features prominently in the diet as fresh, salted, dried or smoked.
Coconut is found everywhere and besides being produced for cooking oil, its milk the juice from the white meat - is an ingredient for many dishes.
Spices and hot chili peppers are the essence of most cooking, and in some areas they are used generously such as in West Sumatera and North Sulawesi. Each province or area has its own cuisine, which vary in the method of cooking and ingredients.
Landscape
Indonesia is made up of six main islands, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Bali, Kalimantan (part of the island of Borneo) and Irian Jaya (the western half of New Guinea), and 30 smaller archipelagos, in total 17,508 islands. 6000 of these islands are inhabited and stretch over 4828km (3000 miles), most lying in a volcanic belt with more than 300 volcanoes, the great majority of which are extinct. The landscape varies from island to island, ranging from high mountains and plateaux to coastal lowlands and alluvial belts.
Culture
Whether separated by mountains and rivers or by vast stretches of ocean, Indonesia's widely dispersed indigenous population has developed over centuries into a rich tapestry of regional cultural traditions. This is manifested in many ways.
Flora and Fauna
Because the flora is so rich many people in Indonesia have made a good living of this natural resource. About 6,000 species of plants are known to be used directly or indirectly by the people. A striking example in this modern time is the use of plants in the production of traditional herbal medicine or "Jamu". Flowers are indispensable in ceremonial, customary and traditional rites. Rafflesia Arnoldi, which is only found in certain parts of Sumatra, is the largest flower in the world. The myriad of orchids in rich in species, varying in size from the largest of all orchids, the tiger orchid of Grammatophyllum Speciosum, to the tiny and leafless species of Taeniophyllum.
Indonesia contains one of the world's most remarkable geographical boundaries in its distribution of animals. This dates back to the glacial period when sea level fell all over the world. During this period the islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Bali on the Sunda Shelf were joined together with one another and the Asian mainland, but Irian Jaya, Aru and the Australian continent of the Sahul Shelf were separated. This early geographical separation explains why the tropical animal species of Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan do not exist in Irian Jaya. For the same reason, the kangaroo of Irian Jaya is missing in the other region. The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). the world's largest lizard, can grow to 3 meters long. Its home is on the Komodo group of reserves, which are composed of Komodo, Padar and Rinca islands, off the coast of Flores in the eastern part of the country
Erholungssuchende Urlauber, Abenteurer, Taucher, Golfer oder Wanderer - sie alle kommen in diesem Land auf ihre Kosten. (www.loose-verlag.de)
Nützliche Links
www.kbriwina.at - Indonesische Botschaft in Wien - Die österreichische Botschaft in Jakarta
www.indonesian-embassy.de Indonesische Botschaft in Berlin - Deutsche Botschaft in Jakarta
www.tourismindonesia.com
www.expat.or.id - Expats: Ausländer in Indonesien
www.jot.de/kamus - Wörterbuch Indonesisch - Deutsch
Landkarten:
http://earth.google.com/
http://maps.google.com
Satellitenbilder
Indonesien Karte mit Zoom
Wetter, Wind & Wellen:
www.wetter.net Das aktuelle Wetter in Indonesien
Wetter Online
Marines Wetter
Sturmwarnung
Tropical Cyclone Page
Wellen
Wind GURU
