Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world that straddles the Equator between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. While it has land borders with Malaysia to the north as well as East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the east, it also neighbours Australia to the south, and Palau, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand to the north, India to the northwest. The nation of Indonesia is almost unimaginably vast: More than 17,000 islands providing 108,000 kilometres of beaches. The distance between Aceh in the West and Papua in the East is more than 4,000 kilometers (2500 miles), comparable to the distance between New York City and San Francisco. Laying on the western rim of the Ring of Fire Indonesia has more than 400 volcanoes, of which 130 are considered active, as well as many undersea volcanoes. The island of New Guinea (on which the Indonesian province of Papua is located) is the second largest island in the world.
Where to go:
Sumatra (incl. the Riau Islands and Bangka-Belitung)
Kalimantan (Borneo) The vast majority of this, the world's third largest island is covered by the Indonesian province. Uncharted jungles, mighty rivers, home of the orang-utan, a paradise for the adventurer.
Java (and Madura) The country's heartland, big cities including the capital Jakarta, and a lot of people packed on a not-so-big island. Also features the cultural treasures of Yogyakarta, Borobudur and Prambanan. One of the most populous island in the earth with more than 120 million inhabitants in a land equal to New York state
Sulawesi (Celebes) Strangely shaped, this island houses a diversity of societies and some spectacular scenery, Toraja cuture, rich flora and fauna, world class diving site, finest undersea scenery.
Nusa Tenggara (Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Komodo and West Timor) Also known as the Lesser Sunda Islands, the "Southeast Islands" contain scores of ethnic groups, languages and religions, home to Komodo lizards and one of the best undersea coral site.
Maluku (Moluccas) The historic Spice Islands, largely unexplored and almost unknown to the outside world.
Irian Jaya (Papua) The western half of the island of New Guinea, with mountains, forests, swamps, an almost impenetrable wilderness in one of the remotest places on earth.
