Jakarta Travel Guide

Jakarta Travel Guide
	by our Indonesia expert Conrad Freethy Consisting of some 13,500 islands, it is not surprising that the actual name ‘Indonesia’ literally means ‘island’. The three main ones are Sumatra, half of Borneo, and Java which is where the capital and major city Jakarta is situated. The country has, for at least 1,500 years, been a world trading centre originally based on spices, and the capital’s previous name of Batavia reflects the Dutch influence that succeeded the earlier Portuguese connection. The city is large and lively, especially at night, with some glitzy shopping malls and modernistic skyscrapers plus fine historic buildings including mosques, churches and temples. However it is more commonly used as the entry point to the rest of the country, with fabulous coral-reef and silver sand beaches and a dramatic hinterland (over 150 active volcanoes) with rain- forest jungle holding fascinating indigenous wild-life. The orang-utan - ‘man-of-the-forest’ - is just one of the many animals and birdlife unique to the region.

Indonesia Facts


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