Home to over 261 million people, Indonesia is the world’s largest island country and with inexpensive local food, reasonably priced accommodations, and spectacular, diverse geography, it’s no wonder this is such a popular destination amongst travellers.
Indonesia was once known as the Dutch East Indies (or Netherlands East Indies), a name used as early as 1884 by a German geographer who thought the name “Indonesia” was derived from the Greek indos, meaning “India” and nesos meaning “island”. Furthermore, the world’s Indonesian archipelago represents one of the most unusual areas, encompassing a major juncture of Earth’s tectonic plates that spans over two faunal realms, serving as the nexus of the people and cultures of Oceania and mainland Asia.
WHEN TO GO April to December
GETTING AROUND The most efficient and cost-effective way of getting around the different cities is by bus. There are also tourist shuttle bus options for those venturing further afield. If you are travelling between regions, the quickest and cheapest way of travel is by air via domestic flights
GETTING THERE Travellers can fly into Indonesia via the two main international gateways, Jakarta’s Sukarno-Hatta Airport or Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, which also offer domestic flights. Around the archipelago, there are also international airports at Medan, Makassar, Manado, Padang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta
However, forming a significant part of the “Ring of Fire” has meant the country is highly susceptible to environmental disasters as a result of seismic and volcanic activity.
Denne historien er fra AG 01/2021 - 146-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
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Denne historien er fra AG 01/2021 - 146-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
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Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
