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Visiting Indonesia

Geographically between Asia and Australia, Indonesia's total land area is 1,905,443 square kilometres with over 80,000 kilometres of coastline.

Over 200 million people live in 27 provinces and the population is made up of more than 300 ethnic groups. The official language is Bahasa Indonesia but there are numerous regional languages and dialects - although English is understood - particularly in the capital, Jakarta, and other major cities, and in Bali.

Indonesia is mainly an Islamic country with a significant presence of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. (Bali is predominantly Hindu.)

The climate is tropical equatorial with temperatures ranging between 21 and 33 degrees centigrade. Average humidity is 60-90% and the rainfall is heaviest between November and February.

Time zones

GMT + 7 hours (West) in Sumatra, Java and Western Borneo
GMT + 8 hours (Central) in Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands, Bali and Eastern Borneo
GMT + 9 hours (East) in Papua and Maluku.

Accommodation

There is a wide variety of accommodation available throughout Indonesia - from five star resorts to simple rooms.

Money and credit Cards

The Indonesian Rupiah is the currency of Indonesia. Coins available are in denominations of 100, 500, 1,000 and notes in denominations of 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000.

Major credit cards and American dollar travellers' cheques are accepted in most hotels.

A word of caution

Please check the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office website
for up-to-date advice if you are planning a trip.

Some regions of Indonesia are experiencing unrest and terrorist threats against Westerners suggest that caution is advisable when travelling to the country.

Additionally there are reports of volcanic activity in central Java which pose a potential danger.

There have also been outbreaks of avian flu which have resulted in fatalities.

It may be wise to take out comprehensive travel insurance in case of emergencies.