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Indonesia is a nation of 17,508 islands[2] in South East Asia, and the world's largest archipelagic state. With a population of over 200 million, it is the world's fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation. With a democratically elected parliament and president, Indonesia is considered the world's third largest democracy (after India and the United States).[3] Its capital is Jakarta, and the country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia and by sea Indonesia neighbours Singapore, The Philippines and Australia.
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Full country name : Republic of Indonesia |
Area : 1,904,569 sq km (735,355 sq mi) |
Population : 22 million |
Famous city : Bali, Jakarta |
People : Most Indonesians are ethnically Austronesian, particularly in central and western Indonesia, eastern Indonesia is Melanesian. |
Language : Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese, Papuan or Austronesian languages |
Religion : 86% Muslim, 11% Christian(of which roughly two-thirds are Protestant), 2% Hindu, 1% Buddhist |
Government : Presidential representative democratic republic |
Head of state : Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono |
Prime Minister : Jusuf Kalla |
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Currency : Rupiah (IDR) |
GDP : US$977.4 billion |
GDP per head :US$4,458 |
Annual growth : 2% |
Inflation : 4% |
Major products/industries : Immense natural resources and agricultural productivity |
Major trading partners : Singapore, Japan, USA, China |
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Visas : A 30 (thirty) days Visa Free for a Short Visit is currently granted at any Immigration Check Point for citizens |
Health risks : Dengue fever, hepatitis, malaria, rabies |
Time : GMT/UTC plus seven to nine hours |
Electricity : 220-240V, 50 Hz |
Weights & measures : Metric |
| Just considering the weather, the cooler dry season from April to October is the best time to visit Bali. The rest of the year is more humid, more cloudy and has more rainstorms, but you can still enjoy a holiday.
There are also distinct tourist seasons which affect the picture. The European summer holidays bring the biggest crowds - July, August and early September are busy. Accommodation can be tight in these months and prices are higher. From Christmas until the end of January, airfares to/from Australia are higher and flights can be booked solid. Many Indonesians also visit Bali around Christmas. Outside these times Bali has surprisingly few tourists and there are plenty of empty hotel rooms and free tables in restaurants.
Balinese festivals, holidays and special celebrations occur all the time, so don't worry about timing your visit to coincide with local events. Just make some inquiries when you arrive and be prepared to travel around the island.
You can dive in Indonesia at any time of the year. Generally speaking for such a vast country, April to December are the best times to go since rainy season is more or less between the months of January and March. That said many places, such as Sulawesi, have excellent conditions at this time so be sure to check the diving season details for your particular destination of choice. The Indonesia liveaboards season is all year round. |
Apart from the usual western calendar, the Balinese also use two local calendars, the Hindu saka and the wuku.
The wuku calendar, which is used to determine festival dates, uses 10 different types of weeks between one and 10 days long, all running simultaneously! The intersection of the various weeks determines auspicious days. It's impossible to work it out yourself: when you arrive in Bali, go to a tourist office and ask which festivals and celebrations are coming up. Try to get to at least one.
The Galungan Festival, Bali's major feast, is held throughout the island and is an annual event in the wuku year. During this 10-day period all the gods come down to earth for the festivities and barongs (mythical lion-dog creatures) prance from temple to temple and village to village. The last and most important day of the festival is Kuningan. Galungan takes place in June in 2003 and January in 2004.
Nyepi is the major festival of the saka year - it's the last day of the year, and usually falls towards the end of March or the beginning of April. The day before is set aside as a day of purification across the island. The night before, evil spirits are noisily chased away with cymbals, gongs, drums and flaming torches. On Nyepi itself, everyone stays quietly at home, making no noise, using no lights and doing no cooking. The idea is that when evil spirits descend, they are fooled into thinking that Bali is uninhabited and leave the island in peace for another year. |
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