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Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation in the world, with a population of 242 million. Located in Southeastern Asia, its islands form an archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Indonesia's climate is tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in the highlands . The terrain is mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains.
For holiday makers Indonesia offers a vast variety of experiences from the resort beaches of Bali to the wilderness of Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo. Outside the sprawling, polluted capital, Jakarta, the cost of living is generally low and Indonesia has long been a favourite of back packers. Hotelz Asia can assist you with hotel reservations in 31 cities, towns and resorts beaches across Indonesia with something for every traveler's budget.
The Dutch began to colonise Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago state.
Current issues include: alleviating widespread poverty, preventing terrorism, continuing the transition to popularly-elected governments after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing reforms of the banking sector, addressing charges of cronyism and corruption, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, and resolving armed separatist movements in Aceh and Papua.
Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has restored financial stability and pursued sober fiscal policies since the Asian financial crisis, but many economic development problems remain, including high unemployment, a fragile banking sector, endemic corruption, inadequate infrastructure, a poor investment climate, and unequal resource distribution among regions.
Indonesia became a net oil importer in 2004 due to declining production and lack of new exploration investment. As a result, Jakarta is not reaping the benefits of high world oil prices, and the cost of subsidizing domestic fuel prices has placed an increasing strain on the budget. Keys to future growth remain internal reform, building up the confidence of international and domestic investors, and strong global economic growth.
In late December 2004, a major tsunami took over 237,000 lives in Indonesia and caused massive destruction of property.
Image courtesy BigPhoto
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