Chrissie Hand

History of Indonesia
March 5th, 2008

A Slice of Indonesia for the Tourist on the Go!

As a world traveler, there are some places that have been in my distant dreams of

visiting; Indonesia is one of them. With its white sand beaches, clear water, incredible

culture, diverse range of wild life, and blue skies, a place like Indonesia seems

irresistible. While this country has so much to offer the wandering traveler, it may seem

confusing at times as to where a traveler should sojourn to and why on this vast island

oasis. From my research, the following three places prove to be great stops for the

traveler who cant visit all the islands, but wants a full range of the Indonesian culture and

offering: Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Java.

Sulawesi, otherwise known as the “Orchid Shaped Island,” is a very unique place

because of the amount of isolation some parts of the island have (1). The southeast

portion does not have any highways connecting to it, which makes the only means of

outside connection to other places by boat (3). This southwest region is covered in

ironwood and teak plantations, which lead to a very diverse and creative artistic

environment. This southeast portion also contains many beautiful untouched beaches.

Northern Sulawesi boasts amazing diving conditions, white sand beaches, and spectacular

mountaintops. In particular, a town called Banekan claims it has 7 times more genre of

coral than in Hawaii, and outstanding marine life (3). Also, northern Sulawesi is a

popular tourist destination for those volcano seekers. Northern Sulawesi contributes to

the diversity in agriculture that Indonesia possesses, offering crops and flowers such as

coconut palm, clove, nutmeg, trumpet flower, lily, gladiola flower, Bougainville, etc (1).
Central Sulawesi is where tourist will be able to find their historical information in places

like the capital, Palu that has many ethnic groups and traditions. Also, people from all

around the world may link themselves to a part of Indonesian history by viewing central

Sualwesi’s WW11 wreck bomber artifact (3).

This “landmark” destination is a great way to experience the unique cultures of

Indonesia because of its five main ethnic groups divided by islands: the Malays, the

Batiks, the Angkolas, the Telos, and the Mandailings (2,3). These islands/island groups

offer up a great amount of diversity and most likely the taste of Indonesian culture that

tourists expect to see upon visiting. Also, northern Sumatra is considered a surfer’s

paradise. The peak swell season is May to September (1). Northern Sumatra also has

one of the biggest lakes in the world, Toba Lake, for visitors to enjoy. Along this lake

you will find mountains, rainforest, lush vegetation, rice fields, rich flora and fauna,

streams, rivers, and spectacular waterfalls. What more could a visitor ask for in a

paradise like this? Also, the biggest national park in Indonesia, Gunung Leuser National

Park, can be found in northern Sumatra (2). In south Sumatra, one can witness most of

Sumatra’s social and economic activities because it is linking to the South Sea and

European Sea lines. Also in southern Sumatra in Palembang was once the site of

Buddihst kingdom of Sriwijaya, which is a nice historical visit for tourists. West Sumatra

is another location where tourists can find lush mountainsides and volcanoes. Also in

West Sumatra there is rich historical information pertaining to religions and wars of its

past, as well as a diverse range of jungle inhabitants (2). Towns such as Medan and

Pekanbaru offer up some historic sites where the roots of Islamic culture within this

country were formed (2).

 Java is the third destination tourists and myself may hope to visit in Indonesia.

While in central Java, visitors can expect to see an abundance of cultural, geographic, and

historic aspects of Indonesian culture. There is a lot of Universities, textiles, handcrafts,

dance schools, and much more that contribute to a diverse shopping and artistic

environment (3). Also in central Java are a number of temples worth seeing, such as

Borobudur, Dieng Plateau, and Sukuh Temple (1). Also in central Java, in a town called

Demak, where visitors can visit the very first Muslim kingdom of the Island to see where

current religious beliefs took hold in Indonesian culture. Visitors may also visit the

cradle of Javanese culture, called Solo (1). East Java can be considered a place of natural

beauty, offering the tourists volcanoes, lakes, wildlife reserves, white sand beaches,

marine gardens, etc. East Java is located right next to the popular tourist destination of

Bali, which is only a short trip (3). Also, tourists may be able to see the historical linkage

of Bali and east Java in terms of trade with other countries and colonies, and their

development. East Java is the site at which the Majapahit Dynasty was based, who were

the people who laid the foundation for this entire archipelago (3). The last spot in the

Java region I hope to travel and recommend to tourists from all my research is Jakarta.

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, is the melting pot of all Indonesia’s many ethnicities,

and is bustling with life! While in Jakarta, one can be historically enriched by tracing the

history of the influence of colonizers like the Dutch, the British, and the Japanese. Also,

Jakarta proudly shows off many diverse forms of architecture that demonstrate its

worldly influence and acceptance of other cultures (3). While preserving its past to the

fullest extent, Jakarta moves its future along briskly by becoming the central area of

commerce and economy within the country (3). With commercial success comes huge
skyscrapers, recreation facilities, state-of-the-art shopping centers, and an incredible

nightlife, no one could turn down (3)!

In a string of nearly more than 17,000 islands that contribute to the country of

Indonesia, it is clearly an easy task to get lost in all the chaos and natural beauty.

Hopefully, the three islands that I discussed and their certain provinces provides others

who may read this paper a guide to discovering the islands and all of its offerings. The

discussed provinces and towns, while not being every part of Indonesia, represent a large

portion of what the Indonesia islands have to offer physically, as well as what they can

offer those from a far away land culturally, mentally, and historically. In each island, it is

easy to find a city bustling with life, volcanoes and white sand beaches, and many

different ethnicities to demonstrate their own cultural footprint on the world. What more

could a tourist with an adventurous spirit ask for?

Chrissie Hand
History of Indonesia
March 5th, 2008

Bibliography

1. “Indonesia 2009.” Indonesia by Province. 2009. Ministry of Culture and Tourism,

Republic of Indonesia.4 March 2009. <http://www.my-
indonesia.info/index.php?lang=en>

2. “Tourism in Indonesia.” Tourist attractions. 2009. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 4

March 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Indonesia

3. “Indonesia Tourism.” Indoensia lets go archipelago. 2007. Members of

Indonesiacommerce.com. 4 March 2009. http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/