Indonesia
The country of Indonesia is in Southeast Asia, but some of its territories are located in Oceania. Indonesia is made up of multiple islands, more than seventeen thousand in all, which makes it the world’s largest island country. The island of Java is where more than half of the people of Indonesia live and that is where the capital, Jakarta, is located.
The highest peak in Indonesia is Puncak Jaya in Papua and this peak is 16, 024 feet above sea level. The largest lake is Lake Toba in Sumatra and the largest rivers include Mahakam and Barito in Kalimantan. There are approximately 150 active volcanoes in Indonesia and both Krakatoa and Tambora are famous for their powerful eruptions during the 19th century.
The entire country is filled with beaches, sand dunes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, coastal mudflats, tidal flats, and algal beds that all lie near the coasts and the sea. The flora and fauna in this country are spectacular and while there are more than 600 bird species in Indonesia, the numbers of tigers, rhinoceros, orangutans, elephants, and leopards are slowly dwindling. Out in the waters, people will be able to spot up to 1,650 coral reef fish species, which is the most of anywhere in the world.
The temperatures in Indonesia are mainly the same throughout the year, but the rainy season happens between November and March every year. Since this is a tropical area, the humidity levels do range between seventy and ninety percent, so it can feel sticky at certain times of the year.
Here are some unique and interesting facts about the country of Indonesia:
· The Komodo dragon lives in Indonesia and it can grow up to 9.8 meters in length, which makes it the largest lizard in the world.
· The world’s largest flower is the Rafflesia Arnoldi and it only grows on the island of Sumatra.
· The first European to visit Indonesia was Marco Polo in 1292.
· The slang word for coffee is java and that word was introduced because of the coffee beans that are grown on the island of Java.
· The largest producer of nutmeg is Indonesia. Nutmeg is native to the Banda Islands.
· A sweet soy sauce in Indonesia is called ‘kecap’ and that is where the English word ‘ketchup’ was derived.
· Indonesia covers three different time zones since it is so massive in size.
· Only 6,000 of the islands in the country are inhabited by people.
· There are more than 700 different indigenous languages that are spoken in Indonesia.
· Everyone must be part of one of six religions in Indonesia. These religions include Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Confucianism.
· 3,000 tons of frog legs are sent to France from Indonesia every year.
Indonesia is an amazing place to visit, because there are so many different areas to explore. The experiences that people can have when visiting any of the islands in the country are ones that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
