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.
This story is from the AG 01/2021 - 146 edition of ASIAN Geographic.
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This story is from the AG 01/2021 - 146 edition of ASIAN Geographic.
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