Berbeda-beda tetapi Satu
Bhinneka Tunggal Ika
Unity in Diversity
Many, yet One
Ancient
From the seventh century CE, the Srivijaya naval kingdom flourished as a result of trade and the influences of Hinduism and Buddhism. Between the eighth and tenth centuries CE, the agricultural Buddhist Sailendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties thrived and declined in inland Java, leaving grand religious monuments such as Sailendra’s Borobudur and Mataram’s Prambanan. The Hindu Majapahit kingdom was founded in eastern Java in the late 13th century, and under Gajah Mada, its influence stretched over much of present-day Indonesia. This period is often referred to as a “Golden Age” in Indonesian history.
The earliest evidence of Islamized populations in the archipelago dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra. Other parts of the archipelago gradually adopted Islam, and it was the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with existing cultural and religious influences, which shaped the predominant form of Islam in Indonesia, particularly in Java.
Republic of Indonesia
Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI)
Ethnic
Indonesia is an ethnically diverse country, with around 300 distinct native ethnic groups. Most Indonesians are descended from Austronesian peoples whose languages had origins in Proto-Austronesian, which possibly originated in what is now Taiwan. Another major grouping is the Melanesians, who inhabit eastern Indonesia (the Maluku Islands and Western New Guinea).
The Javanese are the largest ethnic group, constituting 40.2% of the population, and are politically dominant. They are predominantly located in the central to eastern parts of Java and also sizable numbers in most provinces. The Sundanese, Malay, Batak, Madurese, Minangkabau, and Buginese are the next largest groups in the country. A sense of Indonesian nationhood exists alongside strong regional identities.
Indonesia has played an important role in the world economy due to its strategic position as a world maritime route. Indonesia in East Asia has a strategic position because it connects East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East to Europe. Southeast Asia is the source of the most sought-after and most valuable commodities, namely spices.
The main commodities of Indonesian spices are cloves, nutmeg and mace. These spices stimulated the development of international trade in Southeast Asia. The Spice Route is a spice commodity route that crosses many areas and various ports in the world, especially from the western archipelago across Asia, Africa to Europe.
Biodiversity
Indonesia’s size, tropical climate, and archipelagic geography support one of the world’s highest levels of biodiversity. Its flora and fauna is a mixture of Asian and Australasian species. Forests cover approximately 70% of the country.
The islands of the Sunda Shelf (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Bali) were once linked to mainland Asia, and have a wealth of Asian fauna. Large species such as the Sumatran Tiger, Rhinoceros (Javan Rhino and Sumatran Rhino), Orangutan, Asian elephant, and Leopard were once abundant as far east as Bali, but numbers and distribution have dwindled drastically.
Having been long separated from the continental landmasses, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku have developed their unique flora and fauna. Papua was part of the Australian landmass and is home to a unique fauna and flora closely related to that of Australia, including over 600 bird species.
Indonesia is second only to Australia in terms of total endemic species, with 36% of its 1,531 species of bird and 39% of its 515 species of mammal being endemic. Tropical seas surround Indonesia’s 80,000 kilometres (50,000 miles) of coastline. The country has a range of sea and coastal ecosystems, including beaches, dunes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, coastal mudflats, tidal flats, algal beds, and small island ecosystems.
Indonesia is one of Coral Triangle countries with the world’s most enormous diversity of coral reef fish with more than 1,650 species in eastern Indonesia only.
British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described a dividing line (Wallace Line) between the distribution of Indonesia’s Asian and Australasian species. It runs roughly north–south along the edge of the Sunda Shelf, between Kalimantan and Sulawesi, and along the deep Lombok Strait, between Lombok and Bali.
Flora and fauna on the west of the line are generally Asian, while east from Lombok they are increasingly Australian until the tipping point at the Weber Line. In his 1869 book, The Malay Archipelago, Wallace described numerous species unique to the area. The region of islands between his line and New Guinea is now termed Wallacea.
Traditions & Culture
Food & Agriculture
Nature & Landscape
Tropical Islands surrounded by the Ring of Fire
Indonesia is a country that has the most volcanoes in the world. No less than 500 volcanoes are scattered in Indonesia, with the following details:
126 of them are active volcanoes.
About 70 of these active volcanoes often erupt.
70 volcanoes that have erupted in the last 400 years.
From the data on the distribution of volcanoes in Indonesia, 30 in Sumatra Island, 35 in Java, 30 in Bali and Nusa Tenggara, 16 in Maluku Island, 18 in Sulawesi Island and a total of 129.
Geography of Indonesia is dominated by volcanoes formed by the subduction zone between the Eurasian plate and the Indo-Australian plate. The list above, are the members of the ring of fire that surround Indonesia.