Indonesia consists of 17,500 islands, scattered over both sides of the equator, about 6,000 of which are inhabited. The five largest islands are Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), New Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea), and Sulawesi. The capital, Jakarta, is on Java and is, quite naturally, the largest city in the archipelago.

After an early period of tension with Malaysia, Indonesia's foreign relations since the Suharto "New Order" have been based on economic and political cooperation with Western nations. Indonesia keeps close ties with its neighbors in Asia, and is a pioneer of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit. As a Muslim country, it has worked with other countries to nab and prosecute vendors of major bombings linked to militant Islamism and Al-Qaeda, spurred on by the attack in Bali that killed 200 people and damaged Indonesian tourism.

Since it lies along the equator, it has a tropical climate, with the two standard distinct monsoonal wet and dry seasons. West Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua receive more than the average rainfall. Officially secular, the government officially recognizes only six religions: Islam, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

Bali has entranced many a visitor. Its grace and charm have earned this tiny island numerous panegyrics of praise and reverence: “Island Of The Gods; The Last paradise; Land Of The Thousand Temples; Morning Of The World.” Sulawesi has rugged, mist-covered mountains towering over emerald green rice fields. Dense forests surround pellucid and still highland lakes. Land and clear blue sea meet in seemingly endless stretches of creamy white sandy beach.

Indonesia offers many more activities like surfing. The Indonesian archipelago is known to be a popular surfing destinations. The ideal time to surf is from April through September. Windsurfing is also popular on specific beaches on Bali. On Java island, the best diving is on the west coast. Besides these two pastimes, you can also go climbing, caving, sailing, trekking and so on. In Eco-tourism, having been criticised in the past for the destruction of large areas of its rainforest through forest exploitation, the Indonesian government is now keen to encourage an environmentally friendly tourism policy. The growing trend for eco-holidays has shown up as an increased number in nature-friendly tours.

There are well over fifty airports in Indonesia, with nine international airports serving almost all destinations overseas. Garuda Airlines, the national carrier, has over forty-five  aircraft, from the B-737 to the B-747. Almost half the fleet is comprised of Airbus aircraft. Road, rail and sea transportation are complementary. Rail transport is fragmented due to the terrain, but the roads cover more than 370,500 km. The bus service is fairly satisfactory.

Indonesia time is at UTC + 7 in the west and UTC + 8 in the east. Its currency is the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) and the exchange rate is 1 US$= 9,346 IDR.