Selamat Datang! Welcome to the world’s largest archipelago—Indonesia, a massive nation made up of over 17,000 islands straddling the equator between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. There are around 280 million people living here, and the capital is Jakarta, though the government is currently building a new capital city called Nusantara on the island of Borneo. The official language is Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), which serves as a unifying tongue for a country with over 700 local languages and hundreds of ethnic groups.

Indonesia covers about 1,904,569 square kilometers (735,358 square miles). The country is roughly three times the size of Texas in the U.S., or about five times the size of Germany. If you placed Indonesia over a map of Europe, it would stretch all the way from Ireland to the Caspian Sea!

The most popular sports are Badminton (where they are a global powerhouse) and Football. Their national animal is the Komodo Dragon, the world’s largest lizard, which can only be found in the wild on a few Indonesian islands.

The flag consists of two horizontal stripes of red and white, where the red represents courage and the white symbolizes purity.

The food is a legendary blend of spices and textures. You must try Nasi Goreng, a savory fried rice topped with an egg, which is often called the national dish. Another favorite is Sate (satay), grilled meat skewers served with a rich peanut sauce, and Rendang, a slow-cooked beef curry from Sumatra that is frequently voted the most delicious food in the world.

Indonesia is home to Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist temple, and Prambanan, a massive 9th-century Hindu temple complex—both located on the island of Java. The country sits on the “Ring of Fire,” meaning it has more active volcanoes than almost anywhere else on Earth; you can hike to the turquoise acid lake inside the Ijen Crater or watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo. If you are looking for paradise, the island of Bali is world-famous for its terraced rice paddies, surfing, and unique Hindu culture. Indonesia is also one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, being the only place where Orangutans, Tigers, Rhinos, and Elephants all live in the same forest (on the island of Sumatra).

From the dense jungles of Papua to the bustling megacity of Jakarta, Indonesia is a land of “Unity in Diversity.” Terima kasih! That means “Thank you!”