knowledge about Indonesia and Culture of Indonesia

Indonesia Flag and Symbol

knowledge about Indonesia and Culture of Indonesia. Wide and wide it is Indonesia, it is very difficult to regard Indonesia as a single country. Indonesia is more like a giant tree with branches extending to various parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

As we know, Indonesia consists of a total of 17,508 islands extending 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) east to west in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The number of these islands covers about 1,919,440 square kilometers, making Indonesia the 16th largest country in the world in terms of land area. From 17,508 of these islands, only 6,000 are currently inhabited.

With so many islands, it is not hard to see how Indonesia got its name, the name Indonesia comes from Indus, the Latin name for the country beyong the Indus river, and the Greek nèsos, which means the island.

The largest islands in Indonesia are Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Indonesia part of New Guinea (known as Papua or Irian Jaya).

History & Culture Indonesia

Traditional Dance Reog Ponorogo

Indonesia is one of the largest archipelagic countries in the world with five large islands and has a total of more than seventeen thousand islands. Indonesia consists of 33 provinces spread over islands and islands separated by oceans. The area bounded by the sea causes Indonesia to be one of the most heterogeneous countries. Indonesian society consists of hundreds of tribes, so the culture that developed in Indonesia also varies as reflected in the expression "Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Berbeda - beda tetapi tetap satu)" in English "Unity in Diversity (Out of many one)".

Each tribe in Indonesia develops a frame of reference that can be used as a recognizable characteristic that distinguishes social groups from one another. The terms of reference are manifested and reflected in the seven universal elements of culture. The elements of universal culture are language, social organization, economy, knowledge, technology, art and religion. Different features that can be recognized in each of these areas result in a diverse culture in Indonesia that is becoming a regional culture. Culture of this area is the old and original culture that exist in areas throughout Indonesia. Local culture is reflected in various aspects of community life throughout the region in Indonesia.

Indonesian society consisting of large and small tribes each developed the culture as a manifestation of their active nation against their respective supportive environment. Cultural diversity of Indonesia such as language, religion and belief, song, dance, musical instrument, culinary and so on. This cultural diversity becomes an invaluable asset, so this cultural diversity must be preserved and developed.

Culture tends to develop in accordance with the needs and the development of its supporting community. Each society will respond, receive, process and absorb elements of foreign culture within the framework of reference which has controlled them all this time. Technological progress is one of the factors that can influence the development of culture.

Today's technology is growing very fast. Foreign culture has the potential to enter and expand in Indonesia. This foreign culture can be a positive culture as well as a negative culture. Positive foreign culture can add to the richness of Indonesian culture but not all foreign cultures can be accepted in Indonesia. Therefore, we need to prevent and anticipate foreign cultures that are negative so as not to damage the indigenous culture of Indonesia.

In a pluralistic society like Indonesia, the process of nation-building or national integration demands change, shifting, and adjustment of cultural values. In big cities or in areas where inter-ethnic relationships take place, it is not impossible in addition to the ethnic cultures concerned develop, also developed a new culture that can be used as a reference in the social action of each member of the ethnic communities involved. National culture can be an adequate system of reference or culture.

The national culture can be understood as the culture of the nation which is already in a position that has meaning for the entire nation of Indonesia. In the national culture there is a unifying element of Banga Indonesia that has been aware and menglami spread nationally. In it there are elements of national culture and elements of foreign culture, as well as new creations or national invention.

National culture is easily understood as a culture that is recognized as a national identity. Definition of national culture according to TAP MPR No.II of 1998, namely: National culture based on Pancasila is the manifestation of creation, work and initiative of the Indonesian nation and is the overall effort of Indonesian people to develop the dignity as a nation, and directed to provide insight and meaning on national development in all spheres of life of the nation. Thus National Development is a cultured development. It is also mentioned in the next chapter that the national culture also reflects the noble values ​​of the nation. It appears that the boundaries of national culture formulated by the government are oriented towards national development based on the spirit of Pancasila.

Awareness of the existence of cultural differences among the population in the archipelago archipelago was quite thick. At least they are aware of the differences in the language of the tribe as well as some customs that become the frame of reference in their daily social activities, so that the people of Indonesia need a unifying tool that is the national culture. In this way, national culture will not only be strongly rooted in the old and original culture but also guaranteed its sustainability because it belongs to the supporters of local culture who feel to participate in developing the contribution of elements of their respective regional cultures.

The values ​​of Indonesian culture today began to erode due to foreign culture, especially western culture (westernization) that entered. Technological advances not balanced with sufficient knowledge and high awareness to use technoilogy wisely also trigger the exclusion of regional and national culture. In addition, some indigenous cultures of Indonesia have also been claimed by other countries as their native culture, of course, this must be followed up. National culture is a unifying tool of the nation that should always be maintained, but the local culture also needs to be preserved and noticed because the diverse culture in Indonesia is the main capital that can be marketed through tourism to increase foreign exchange earnings. Preserving and maintaining this culture is the joint responsibility of the Indonesian nation that is the government together with all levels of society.

Cooperation between the government and the community is very much needed to preserve Indonesian culture. The love of Indonesian culture must begin to be re-grown from now on all levels of society, especially the younger generation. Especially at an early age so that the sense of nationalism is more durable in the community. The introduction of Indonesia from an early age can also cultivate the spirit of patrotism, which these children hope has a desire to improve Indonesia as well as develop it and love Indonesia more.

Many efforts can be done from now on such as cooperation between educational institutions and community organizations to reintroduce Indonesian culture to all Indonesian people and the world community.

Indonesia has a rich and fascinating history. The majority of Indonesia's modern population consists of Austronesians, who originally migrated to Southeast Asia from Taiwan. They arrived in Indonesia around 2,000 BC and quickly spread throughout the archipelago, pushing the native Melanesians to the far eastern region.

Trade contracts ultimately bring cultural and religious influences from outside to Indonesia from India, China and mainland Southeast Asia. From the seventh century, the powerful Sriwijaya kingdom developed as a result of Hindu and Buddhist influences imported into Indonesia along with traded goods. Sriwijaya is one of the first Indian kingdoms and grew up around the coast of Sumatra, serving as a hub of trading networks that reach many parts of the archipelago.

In the adjacent island of Java, the Sailendra Buddha and the Mataram Hindu dynasty developed and declined, leaving the remnants of major religious monuments such as Sailendra's Borobudur and Prambanan from Mataram. The last and most powerful of these early Hindu-Javanese kingdoms was the Majapahit empire, whose influence stretched over the majority of Indonesia.

Although the beginning of the 19th century, the earliest evidence of Islamized populism is not found until 13th century. By the time Marco Polo visited Northern Sumatra at the end of the 13th century, the first Islamic state was already there. Other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam and it became the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. Indonesia is now the world's largest Islamic nation

Indonesia’s Language

The official language of Indonesia is ‘Bahasa Indonesia.’ There are also several hundred local languages, such as Javanese or Papuan languages. Most Indonesians speak their ethnic language as their mother tongue as well as the official language of Bahasa Indonesia.

Indonesia’s Religion

Indonesia is the world’s largest Islamic country, but the government of Indonesia officially recognizes five other religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Confucianism. 

Indonesia’s Climate & Geography

Did you know that over 150 of Indonesia’s 17,508 islands are active volcanoes? Indonesia is one of the most geographically and geologically interesting countries on Earth. There are over 400 volcanic mountains that dot the islands of Indonesia. These islands have a huge impact on both the Australian and Pacific tectonic plate. The Australian plate changes slowly moves slowly upwards into the small plates of the Pacific plate which moves southward. The islands of Indonesia are stretched out between the lines of these two plates.

This interesting situation makes Indonesia one of the most changing geological areas in the world. Indonesia experiences three vibrations every day, at least one earthquake a day, and one volcanic eruption every year. Indonesia was also the site of two famous 19th century volcanic eruptions Tambora and Krakatau as well as the epicenter of the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami.

Indonesia spans a range of 1,919,000 square kilometers and shares land borders with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor, all of which to its uniquely rich cultural diversity.

Indonesia’s climate is tropical hot and humid although its high mountain peaks can get quite cool. The year is divided into a wet season and a dry season but because Indonesia is located at the equator, the temperatures don’t vary much from month to month. The coastal areas stay steady at around the mid to upper 20s Celsius (low to mid 80s Fahrenheit) all year long.