INDONESIA

The name of Indonesia derives from Latin and Greek Indus and Nèsos, meaning Island. Indonesia is the world largest archipelago comprising approximately 18.307 islands with its over 240 million people in 34 provinces, 300 distinct native ethnic groups, 742 local languages/dialects but united by one national language Bahasa Indonesia, 6 official religions and 3 different time zones. What a country!

FLAG 

The National Flag of Indonesia Sang Saka Merah Putih (The Sacred Red and White) or Sang Dwiwarna (The Bicolor) is based on the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire in East Java. The flag itself was introduced and hoisted in public at Indonesian Independence Day on August 17, 1945. The design of the flag has remained the same ever since. The design of the flag is simple with two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with an overall ratio of 2 : 3.

EMBLEM 

The National Emblem of Indonesia is Garuda Pancasila. The main part of Indonesian national emblem is Garuda with a heraldic shield on its chest and a scroll gripped by its legs. The shield's five emblems represent Pancasila, the five principles of Indonesia's national ideology. The Garuda claws gripping a white ribbon scroll inscribed with the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika written in black text, which can be loosely translated as Unity in Diversity. Garuda Pancasila was designed by Sultan Hamid II from Pontianak, West Kalimantan and supervised by Sukarno and was adopted as national emblem on 11 February 1950.

ANTHEM

The National Anthem of The Republic of Indonesia is Indonesia Raya. The song was introduced by its composer Wage Rudolf Supratman on 28 October 1928 during the second Indonesian Youth Congress in Jakarta. The song marked the birth of the all archipelago nationalist movement in Indonesia that supported the idea of one single Indonesia as successor to Dutch East Indies, rather than split into several colonies. Indonesia Raya is played in flag raising ceremonies in schools usually on Mondays. The flag is raised in a solemn and timed motion so that it reaches the top of the flagpole as the anthem ends. The main flag raising ceremony is held annually on 17 August to commemorate Independence Day. 

PROVINCES 

 1.  Province of Aceh* - Banda Aceh

 2.  Province of North Sumatra - Medan

 3.  Province of West Sumatra - Padang

 4.  Province of Riau - Pekanbaru

 5.  Province of Riau Islands - Tanjung Pinang

 6.  Province of Jambi - Jambi

 7.  Province of South Sumatra - Palembang

 8.  Province of Bangka-Belitung - Pangkal Pinang

 9.  Province of Bengkulu - Bengkulu

10. Province of Lampung - Bandar Lampung

11. Province of DKI Jakarta* - Jakarta

12. Province of Banten - Serang

13. Province of West Java - Bandung

14. Province of Central Java - Semarang

15. Province of DI Yogyakarta* - Yogyakarta

16. Province of East Java - Surabaya

17. Province of Bali - Denpasar

18. Province of West Nusa Tenggara - Mataram

19. Province of East Nusa Tenggara - Kupang

20. Province of West Kalimantan - Pontianak

21. Province of Central Kalimantan - Palangkaraya

22. Province of South Kalimantan - Banjarmasin

23. Province of East Kalimantan - Samarinda

24. Province of North Kalimantan - Tanjung Selor

25. Province of North Sulawesi - Manado

26. Province of Gorontalo - Gorontalo

27. Province of Central Sulawesi - Palu

28. Province of West Sulawesi - Mamuju

29. Province of South Sulawesi - Makassar

30. Province of Southeast Sulawesi - Kendari

31. Province of Maluku - Ambon

32. Province of North Maluku - Sofifi

33. Province of Papua* - Jayapura

34. Province of West Papua* - Manokwari

                   
           

GEOGRAPHY 

Indonesia lies between latitudes 11ºS and 6ºN and 95ºE and 141ºE. These are scattered over both sides of the equator makes it has a tropical climate with two distinct monsoonal wet and dry seasons. Indonesia's location on the edges of Pacific, Eurasian and Australian tectonic plates makes it the site of numerous volcanoes and frequent earthquakes and it has at least 150 active volcanoes, makes Indonesia to be called The Ring of Fire. At 1.919.440 square kilometers, Indonesia is the world's 16th largest country in terms of land area with its five largest islands are Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. The country shared land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Malaysia. Other neighboring countries are Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Palau, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

NATURE 

Indonesia size, tropical climate and archipelagic support the world's second highest level of biodiversity after Brazil and its flora and fauna is a mixture of Asian and Australian species. The islands of Sunda Shelf (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Bali) were once linked to Asian mainland and have a wealth of Asian fauna. Forests cover approximately 60% of the country. In Sumatra and Kalimantan, these are predominantly of Asian species. However, the forests of the smaller and more densely populated Java have largely been removed for human habitation and agriculture. Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku having been long separated from the continental landmasses have developed their own unique flora and fauna. Papua was part of Australian landmass and it's home to unique flora and fauna 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. Indonesia has a range of sea and coastal ecosystems, including beaches, sand dunes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, sea grass beds, coastal mudflats, tidal flats, algal beds and small island ecosystem. Indonesia is one of Coral Triangle countries with the world's greatest diversity of coral reef fish with more than 1.650 species in eastern Indonesia only. 

CULTURE

The culture of Indonesia is so rich, diverse and unique from all region in the archipelago, spread from Sabang in Sumatra to Merauke in Papua. It has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is centrally located along ancient trading routes between Far East and Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures. 

MUSIC 

Indonesian music demonstrates its cultural diversity, the local musical creativity, as well as subsequent foreign musical influences that shaped contemporary music scene in Indonesia. Nearly thousands of Indonesian islands having its own cultural and artistic history and character. This result is hundreds of different forms of music. 

Gamelan
The most popular and famous form on Indonesian music is probably Gamelan, an ensemble of tuned percussion instruments that include metallophones, drums, gongs and spike fiddles along with bamboo flutes. Similar ensembles are prevalent throughout Indonesia and also Malaysia, however Gamelan is originated from Java, Bali, Lombok.

Keroncong 
Keroncong is a musical genre that uses guitars and ukulele as the main musical instrument and it had its roots in Portugal and was introduced by Portuguese traders in the 15th century. There is a traditional Keroncong Tugu music group in North Jakarta and other traditional Keroncong music groups in Maluku with strong Portuguese influences. Perhaps the most famous Keroncong song is Bengawan Solo written by Gesang Martohartono in 1940. There is a syle of Keroncong native to Surakarta/Solo called Langgam Jawa, which fuses Keroncong with Gamelan seven note scale and early in the 20th century, Keroncong was used in a type of theater called Komedi Stambul, adapted for this purpose, the music was called Gambang Kromong which is quite prevalent in Betawi culture of Jakarta.

Angklung 
Angklung is a bamboo musical instrument native to Sundanese people of West Java. It's made out of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved so that they have a distinctive resonant pitch when being vibrated and each Angklung only plays one note. UNESCO designated Angklung as A Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 18, 2010.

Dangdut
Dangdut was originally Indonesian dance music that has spread throughout Southeast Asia. A Dangdut band typically consists of a lead singer, male or female, backed by four to eight musicians. Instruments usually include a tabla, gendang, flute, mandolin, guitar and synthesizers.

Sasando
Sasando is  a plucked string instrument native of Rote Island of East Nusa Tenggara. The parts of Sasando are a bamboo cylinder surrounded by several wedges where the strings are stretched, surrounded by a bag like fan of dried  Lontar or palm leaf (borassus flabellifer) functioned as the resonator of the instrument.

Kacapi Suling
Kacapi Suling is a type of instrumental music that is highly improvisational and popular in parts of West Java that employs two instruments, Kacapi/Kecapi (zither) and Suling (bamboo flute). It's related to Tembang Sunda.

Kolintang/Kulintang
Kolintang/Kulintang is a bronze and wooden percussion instrument native to eastern Indonesia. It's particularly associated with Minahasa people of North Sulawesi, however it also popular in Maluku and Timor.

Tapanuli Ogong
Musical performance from Tapanuli North Sumatra. Tapanuli Ogong is a form of dance music played with a type of lute, trumpet and flute.

Gambus
Gambus literally means oud, referring to a type of lute or 12 string pear shaped guitar, is Middle Eastern derived Islamic vocal and instrumental music. These tradition began to be incorporated throughout many areas of Indonesia by the 16th century.

Qasidah
Qasidah is an ancient Arabic word for religious poetry accompanied by chanting and percussion. Qasidah adapts this for pop audiences. It's used to denote a type of orchestra and the music it plays, believed to be introduced by Muslim settlers from Yemen.

Campursari
Campursari is a musical fusion style of traditional Javanese music and Dangdut that prevalant in Javanese cultural sphere, mainly Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java. There is also Sundanese version of Campursari prevalent in Bandung region of West Java.

DANCE 

Indonesian dance reflects the diversity of culture from ethnic groups that composed the nation of Indonesia. Each ethnic group has their own distinct dances, makes total dances in Indonesia are more than 3000 Indonesian original dances which divided into three eras, Prehistoric, Hindu/Buddhist, Islam and into two genres, court dance and folk dance. 

There is a continuum in the traditional dances depicting episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata from India, ranging through Thailand, all the way to Bali. There is a marked difference, though, between the highly stylized dances of the courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta and their popular variations. While the court dances are promoted and even performed internationally, the popular forms of dance art and drama largely be discovered locally. 

On November 24, 2011 Saman Dance from Aceh officially recognized as  Intangible Element of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. During the last few years some Indonesian dance has become popular such as Reog Ponorogo, a dance that originated from Ponorogo East Java which is a visualization of the legendary story Wengker and Kediri Kingdom which claimed by Malaysia by changed its name into Barongan. A popular line dance called Poco-Poco was originated from Sulawesi and also popular in Malaysia but in early April 2011 banned for Malaysian Muslim by Malaysian Islamic clerics.

DRAMA/THEATRE 

Wayang (Wayang Kulit, Wayang Golek, Wayang Klithik etc), Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese shadow puppet theatre shows display several mythological legends such as Ramayana and Mahabharata and many more. UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7 2003. Wayang Orang is Javanese traditional dance drama based on Wayang stories. Various Balinese dance drama also can be included within traditional drama. Another form of local drama is Javanese Ludruk and Ketoprak, Sandiwara Sunda and Betawi Lenong. All of these drama incorporated humor and jest, often involving audiences in their performance. Randai is a folk theatre tradition of Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, usually performed for traditional ceremonies and festivals. It incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and martial art Pencak Silat, with performances often based on semi historical Minangkabau legends and love story. Modern performing art also developed in Indonesia with their distinct style of drama. Recently, some popular performing such as Musikal Laskar Pelangi, Matah Ati, Ariah to name a few.

MARTIAL ART 

The art of Pencak Silat was created and firstly developed in Java and Sumatra. It's an art for survival and practiced throughout Indonesian archipelago. Centuries of tribal wars in Indonesian history had shaped Pencak Silat as it was used by the ancient warriors of Indonesia. It was used to determine the rank and position in old Indonesian kingdoms. Contacts with Indian and Chinese was further enriched Pencak Silat reached areas beyond Indonesia mainly through diaspora of Indonesian people. People from various regions like Aceh, Minangkabau, Riau, Bugis, Makassar, Java, Banjar etc moved into and settled in Malay Peninsula and other islands. They brought Pencak Silat and passed it down to their descendants. The Indonesian of half Dutch descent are also credited as the first to brought the art into Europe.

Pencak Silat was used by Indonesian freedom fighters during their struggle against the Dutch colonists. Unfortunately after Indonesia achieving their independence, Pencak Silat became less popular among Indonesian youth compare to Karate or Taekwondo. This probably because it was not taught openly and only passed down among blood relatives, the other reason is the lack of media portrayal of the art.

Effort have been made in recent years to introduce and reintroduce the beauty of Pencak Silat to Indonesian youth and the world. Exhibitions and promotions by individuals as well as state sponsored groups helped the growing of Pencak Silat's popularity, particularly in Europe and United States. Indonesian movies Merantau and The Raid are one of the efforts to introduce Pencak Silat to international scene. Another martial art from Indonesia is Tarung Drajat. It's a modern combat system created by Haji Ahmad Drajat based on his experience as a street fighter. Tarung Drajat has been acknowledge as a national sport by KONI in 1998 and it's now used by Indonesia Army as part of their basic training.

PAINTING

What Indonesian painting before 19th century are mostly restricted to the decorative arts, considered to be a religious and spiritual activity, comparable to pre 1400 European art. Artists name are anonymous, since the individual human creator was seen as far less important than their creation to honor the deities or spirits. Some example are Kenyah decorative art, based on endemic natural motifs such as ferns and hornbill, found decorating the wall of Dayak's Kenyah long house. Other notable traditional art is the geometric Sulawesi's Toraja wood carving. Balinese painting are initiating the narative images to depict scenes of Balinese legends and religious scripts. The classical Balinese paintings are often decorating Lontar manuscripts and also the ceilings of temple's pavilion.              

The most famous indigenous 19th century Indonesia painter is Raden Saleh (1807 - 1877), the first indigenous artist to study in Europe. His art is heavily influenced by Romanticism. In 1920's Walter Spies began to settled in Bali, he is often credited with attracting the attention of Western cultural figures to Balinese culture and art. The 1920s to 1940s were a time of growing nationalism in Indonesia. Some examples of Indonesian painter during this period are Ida Bagus Made and the realist Basuki Abdullah. From the 1940s on, artists started to mix Western techniques with Southeast Asian imagery and content. Painters that rooted in the revolutionary movement of the World War and the post World War period started to appear during this period, such as Sudjojono, Affandi and Hendra. Three art academies offer extensive formal training in visual art are Bandung Institute of Technology founded in 1947, Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia in Yogyakarta was inaugurated in 1950 and Institut Kesenian Jakarta which was opened in 1970.

SCULPTURE 

Indonesia has a long history of stone, bronze and Iron Ages arts. The megalithic sculptures can bee found in numerous archaeological sites in Sumatra, Java to Sulawesi. The native Indonesian tribes have their own distinct tribal sculpture styles, usually created to depict ancestors, deities and animals. The pre Hindu Buddhist and pre Islamic sculptures can be traced in the artworks of indigenous Indonesian tribes. The most notable sculptures are those of Asmat wooden sculpture of Papua, Dayak wooden mask and sculpture, the ancestral wooden statue of Toraja, also the totem like sculpture of Batak and Nias tribe.

The stone sculpture art form particularly flourished in 8th to 10th century Java and Bali which demonstrate the influences of Hindu Buddhist culture, both as stand alone works of art and also incorporated into temples. Most notable of classical Hindu-Buddhist era of Indonesia are the hundreds of meters of relief and hundreds of stone Buddhas at Borobudur Temple in Central Java. The examples of notable Indonesian Hindu-Buddhist sculptures are the statues of Hindu deities Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Durga, Ganesha and Agastya enthroned in rooms of Prambanan Temple, the Vishnu mounting Garuda statue of King Airlangga, the exquisite statue of Eastern Javanese Prajnaparamita and 3,7 meters tall Dvarapala dated from Singhasari period and also the grand statue of Bhairava Adityawarman discovered in Sumatra. Today, the Hindu-Buddhist style stone sculptures are reproduced in villages in Muntilan near Borobudur also in Bali. The richest, most elaborate and vivid wooden sculpture and wooden carving tradition in Indonesia can be found in Bali and Jepara, Central Java. Balinese handicrafts such as sculptures, masks and other carving artworks are popular souvenir for tourist that have visited Indonesia. On the other hand, Jepara wood carving are famous for its elaborately carved wooden furnitures, folding screens and Pelaminan Gebyok (wedding throne with carved background).

ARCHITECTURE 

As much of Southeast Asia, traditional vernacular architecture in Indonesia are built on stilts with the significant exceptions of Java and Bali. Notable stilt houses are those of Dayak people in Kalimantan, Rumah Gadang of Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Batak in North Sumatra and Tongkonan of Toraja in Sulawesi. Oversized saddle roofs with large eaves, such as the homes of Batak and Tongkonan of Toraja are often bigger than the house they shelter. The fronts of Torajan houses are frequently decorated with buffalo horns, stacked one above another as an indication of status. The outside walls also frequently feature decorative reliefs.

The 8th century Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and it's notable for incorporating about 2.672 reliefs panels and 504 Buddha statues into its stuctures, telling the story of the life of the Buddha. The nearby 9th century Prambanan Temple contains some of the best preserved examples of Hindu temple architecture in Java. The temple complex comprises eight main shrines, surrounded by 224 smaller shrines. The style of the monument and the reliefs featuring scenes from Ramayana which adorn the outer walls of the main temples and in the votive statuary found within.

CRAFTS

Several Indonesian islands are famous for their Batik, Ikat and Songket cloth. Once on the brink of disappearing, Batik and later Ikat found a new lease of life when former President Suharto promoted wearing Batik shirts on official occasions. In addition to the traditional patterns with their special meanings, used for particular occasion, Batik designs have become creative and diverse over the last few years. UNESCO designed Batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on October 2, 2009. Other worldwide famous Indonesian crafts are Jepara wooden carving and Keris. Keris/Kris is a prized asymetrical dagger and it's famous for its distinctive wavy blade, but in the past, most had straight blades. Legendary Keris that posses supernatural power and extraordinary ability were mentioned in traditional folktales such as those of Mpu Gandring, Taming Sari and Setan Kober. In 2005, UNESCO gave the title Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity to Keris of Indonesia. From eastern Indonesia, there's Noken, a multifunctional knotted or woven bag native to Papua. Noken's distinctive usage which is hung from the head, are traditionally used to carry various goods and also children. In 2012, Noken is listed in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists as a cultural heritage of Indonesia. Women carrying Noken are still common sight in Wamena. In several areas of Papua, Noken, instead the usual ballot box, is preferred as a way to place ballots, where it's recognized as a ballot tool in Papua regional leadership elections.

LITERATURE & POETRY 

Pramoedya Ananta Toer was Indonesia's most internationally celebrated author, having won Magsaysay Award as well as being considered for Nobel Prize in Literature. Other important figures include Chairil Anwar, a poet and member of the Generation 45 group of authors who were active in the Indonesian independence movement. In the book Max Havelaar, Dutch author Multatuli criticised the Dutch treatment of the Indonesians which gained him international attention.

Modern Indonesian authors include Seno Gumira Adjidarma, Andrea Hirata, Habiburrahman El Shirazy, Ayu Utami, Gus tf Sakai, Ahmad Fuadi, Eka Kurniawan, Ratih Kumala, Dee, Oka Rusmini etc. Some of their works have translated into other languages.

There is a long tradition in Indonesia, particularly among ethnically Malay population, of extemporary, interactive, oral composition of poetry. These poems are referred to as Pantun. Contemporary Indonesian poets include among others Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, Rendra, Taufiq Ismail, Afrizal Malna, Binhad Nurrohmat, Joko Pinurbo, Sapardi Djoko Damono etc.

RECREATION & SPORTS 

Many of traditional games are still preserved and popular in Indonesia, although western culture has influenced some parts of them. Among 300 officially recognized Indonesian cultures, there are many kinds of traditional games such as cockfighting in Bali, annual bull races Karapan Sapi in Madura and Pacu Jawi in West Sumatra, goat fighting in Garut West Java, stone jumping in Nias Island to name a few. Pencak Silat and Sepak Takraw are some popular form of sport which was influenced bu Asian culture. Popular modern sports in Indonesia played at the international level include football, badminton and basketball. Badminton is one of Indonesia's most successful sports. Indonesian badminton athletes have played in some international badminton grandprix series, All England and many international events including Olympic Games and won Olympic gold medals since badminton was made an Olympic sport in 1992. Rudy Hartono is a legendary Indonesian badminton player who won All England titles seven times in a row (1968 through 1974). Indonesian teams have won Thomas Cup thirteen of twenty two times that it has been contested since they entered the series in 1957. 

In the hugely internationally popular sport of football, Indonesian teams have been active in Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Sporting events in Indonesia are organized by Indonesian National Sport Committee (KONI). The committee, along with the government of Indonesia have set a National Sport Day on every September 9 with Sport for All as the motto. Indonesia has hosted Southeast Asian Games four times in 1979, 1987, 1997, 2011 and won overall champion title in each of these years. As of 2011 Indonesia has won champion titles ten times overall out of 18 SEA Games it has attended since debuted in 1977. 

CUISINE 

In 2011 an online poll by 35.000 people held by CNN International chose Padang traditional food Rendang as the number one dish of their 'World's 50 Most Delicious Foods' list. Nasi Goreng and Sate/Satay are on the list as well. Nasi Goreng, Satay and Soto are considered as Indonesian National Dishes. Indonesian cuisine has been influenced by Chinese, Indian and Western culture. However in return, Indonesia cuisine has also contributed to the cuisine of neighboring countries, notably Malaysia and Singapore, where Padang or Minangkabau cuisine from West Sumatra is very popular. Also Satay (Sate in Indonesian) which is originated from Java, Madura and Sumatra, has gained popularity as a street vendor food from Singapore, Malaysia to Thailand. 

Most native Indonesians eat rice as the main dish with a wide range of vegetables and meat as side dishes. However, in some parts of the country such as Papua and Maluku the majority of the people eat Sago (a type of tapioca) and sweet potato. The most important aspect of modern Indonesia cuisine is that the food must be halal, comforting to Islamic food laws. Haram, the opposite of halal includes pork and alcoholic drinks. However, in some regions where there is significant no Muslim population, non halal food are also commonly served.

Indonesian dishes are usually spicy, using a wide range of chili peppers and spices. The most popular dishes include Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Satay, Soto, Nasi Padang (a dish of Minangkabau) and soy based dishes such as Tempe and Tofu. A unique characteristic of some Indonesian food is the application of spicy peanut sauce in their dishes as a dressing for Gado-Gado or Karedok (Indonesian style salad) or for seasoning grilled chicken satay. Another unique aspect of Indonesian cuisine is using Terasi, a pungent shrimp paste in dishes of Sambal Oelek (hot pungent chili sauce). The sprinkling of friend shallots also gives a unique crisp texture to some Indonesian dishes. Anyway, as a Sundanese, I love Sundanese food a lot!