Country book · Asia

Indonesia

Seventeen thousand islands, one archipelago nation

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago, home to more than 270 million people across thousands of islands, hundreds of languages and every landscape from volcano to coral reef. Unity across such diversity is its national motto and its daily reality.

Myths

What's true, what isn't

Actually true

It's the world's largest archipelago nation
Indonesia spans over 17,000 islands across three time zones, with Java alone home to more than half the population.
It has the world's largest Muslim population
More Muslims live in Indonesia than in any other country, though the constitution recognises multiple official religions.
It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire
Indonesia has over 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country, shaping both its landscapes and its risks.
Hundreds of languages are spoken
Over 700 living languages exist alongside the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, which unifies communication across islands.

Commonly believed, wrong

"Bali is representative of the whole country"
Bali is a Hindu-majority island quite different culturally and religiously from Muslim-majority Java or Christian areas of eastern Indonesia.
"It's just beaches and rice terraces"
Indonesia has dense modern cities like Jakarta and Surabaya, rainforests with orangutans, and Komodo dragons found nowhere else on Earth.
"Indonesian and Malay are unrelated languages"
Bahasa Indonesia and Malay are closely related, mutually intelligible languages from the same Austronesian root.
"It's a small, homogenous nation"
It's the fourth most populous country on Earth with over 300 distinct ethnic groups.

Highlights

The best of Indonesia

Bali's rice terraces and temples

Tegalalang's stepped green terraces and sea temples like Tanah Lot at sunset.

Borobudur at dawn

The world's largest Buddhist temple, its stupas emerging from mist over Java's countryside.

Komodo National Park

Home to the world's largest living lizards and pink-sand beaches surrounded by dramatic dive sites.

Raja Ampat's reefs

Some of the richest marine biodiversity on the planet, off the coast of West Papua.

Culture

Cultural riches

Wayang shadow puppetry

Ancient Javanese storytelling performed with leather puppets and gamelan orchestra accompaniment.

Gamelan orchestras

Bronze percussion ensembles central to Javanese and Balinese ceremony and performance.

Batik textile art

Wax-resist dyeing technique recognised by UNESCO, with regional patterns carrying specific meanings.

Balinese Hindu ceremony

Daily offerings and elaborate temple festivals shape life on the Hindu-majority island of Bali.

Food

What to eat

Nasi goreng

Indonesia's beloved fried rice, often topped with a fried egg and served with prawn crackers.

Rendang

A slow-cooked Minangkabau beef curry, dry and deeply spiced, often ranked among the world's best dishes.

Satay

Skewered grilled meat served with peanut sauce, found across nearly every region in variation.

Gado-gado

A vegetable salad with hard-boiled egg, tofu and a rich peanut sauce dressing.

Sate lilit and lawar (Bali)

Balinese minced-meat satay wrapped on lemongrass, alongside spiced coconut and vegetable lawar.

Music

World-famous voices

Rich Brian

Global rap breakout.

NIKI

88rising's soulful voice.

Tulus

Indonesia's most-loved songwriter.

Slank

Rock institution.

Raisa

Pop and R&B star.

History

Important people in history

Sukarno

1945–1967

Founding president who declared Indonesian independence from Dutch colonial rule.

Suharto

1967–1998

Led three decades of rapid economic development under an authoritarian 'New Order' government.

Cities