Indonesia comprises of approximately 17,000 islands and is one of the largest countries in Asia, being in both size and also population.
It has 34 provinces but can be loosely divided by area of interests to regions Java, Sumatra, Bali and Lombok, Flores, Kalimantan, Maluku, Sulawesi and Papua.
Known as Wonderful Indonesia, it has a lot of places of interests to offer, ranging from tourist attractions and shopping to nature and adventures.
Major Cities
Jakarta (capital city), Surabaya, Bandung, Medan and Semarang. Other prominent cities are Banjarmasin, Manado, Makassar, Yogyakarta and Jayapura.
Geographical Location
Being large and scattered, Indonesia neighbors with Malaysia, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Philippines.
Population
237.6 million people
People
Around 300 distinct native groups with the largest ethnic group being Javanese, who comprises of 42% of the population. The rest is the Sundanese, Malays, Madurese and Chinese Indonesians.
Language
The official language is Indonesian among the 7542 different languages and dialects
Religion
There are six official religions in Indonesia – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. All others have religious freedom base on Indonesian consittution.
Government
It is a republic country with a presidential system.
Climate
Being a tropical country that lies along the equator, it has two distinct climate which is the wet season and dry season. Temperatures ranges in Jakarta from 26C-30C. Average annual rainfall from lowland of 1,780 millimeters to highland of 6,100 millimeters.
Entry requirement
Visitors must possess a valid passport with the minimum of six months validity. Selected countries do not need a Visa to visit while the rest are usually granted visa on arrival, with exception to a few countries, please refer to our Visa Requirement for further information.
Check out Visa for Long Term Stays in Indonesia
Currency
The unit of currency is Indonesian Rupiah (Rp) (IDR). Foreign currencies can be converted at banks and money changers.
Time
Various from UTC +7 to +9.
Electricity
The voltage used throughout Indonesia is 220 volts / 50Hz, similar to Australia and European countries with power plug type of 2-pin. Check out the Indonesia’s electricity and power plug example.
Telecommunications
Indonesia is linked nationally and internationally by telephone and internet. Dialing code is +62.
Accommodations
Accommodations in Indonesia are easily available in places that are popular to tourists such as Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya or Lombok. You will find choices from high end luxury hotels and resorts to bed and breakfasts, homestays and backpacker hostels/guesthouses. Out of the beaten path of travelers, accommodations are limited. In this case, the most common type of accommodation you will find for those on a budget would be either a losmen or a guesthouse with basic facilities but sometimes you may find budget hotels or resorts but they are often not up to standard. Our favourite site to find accommodations in Indonesia is Booking.com, as most bookings allow cancellation up to last minute giving us full flexibility.
-> Best Places to Stay in Bali
-> Best Hotels in Jakarta
Drives
On the left
Getting to Indonesia
Air
The main gateway to Indonesia is through Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) Airport. Other popular international airports are Denpasar’s (Bali) Ngurah Rai (DPS) and Surabaya’s Juanda Airport. Many international airlines fly to Indonesia and their national carrier is Garuda Indonesia covers a lot of countries as well.
-> See Best Jakarta Airport Hotels
Sea
Main entry point by sea is from Singapore to Batam and Bintan. Ferries from Malaysia is now to Dumai or Pekanbaru in Riau, Sumatra.
Land
From East Timor is between Batugade and Atambua, West Timor. From Malaysia is from West Kalimantan and Sarawak, Malaysia to Entikong-Tebedu. From Papua New Guinea is between Vanimo in Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea and Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia.
Getting Around
Air
Being of many islands, Indonesia has a good network of domestic airlines to move around with. Check out our local Indonesian airlines list.
Land
While on land most of the places are connected by buses with Java the only island that is well connected by train. See bus travel or train travel in Indonesia for more information. In smaller vicinity, one can take the car, becak, ojek or angkot.
Sea
By sea one can take the pelni boats but to own discretion, and it will also take considerable amount of time. See boat/pelni travel in Indonesia for more information.
Also, these may be of interest to you:
Top 10 Must Visit Places in Indonesia
Why Visit Indonesia
Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Indonesia
Travel Indonesia Itineraries:
1 month Travel Indonesia Itinerary
3 Weeks in Indonesia Itinerary
2 Weeks Travel Itinerary in Indonesia