Introduction to Indonesia

 INDONESIAN NATURE

Indonesia is one of the tropical countries crossed by the equator. Various kinds of beauty and diversity of flora and fauna are presented in Indonesian nature. Indonesia consists of approximately 17,000 islands spread throughout the sovereign territory of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia.

The area of ​​Indonesia consists of land and sea. The land area of ​​Indonesia is around 1,919,440 km², while the ocean area of ​​Indonesia is around 3,273,810 km². The total area of ​​Indonesia, including land and sea, is around 5,193,250 km².
Indonesia has more than 1,340 ethnic groups. The Javanese are the largest ethnic group, with 41% of the total population. According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), there are more than 600 ethnic groups in Indonesia. 
More specifically, based on BPS data in the 2010 Population Census, Indonesia has 1,340 ethnic groups spread throughout the region. The Javanese dominate, with 41% of the total population. The Sundanese are in second place with 15.5%. The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) also classifies 1,331 ethnic groups into more than 600 groups, not just 31 groups in the initial classification. 
Other ethnic groups also have significant numbers, such as the Batak, Minangkabau, and Malay. The diversity of ethnic groups in Indonesia is reflected in the unique cultures, traditions, and regional languages ​​in each region. Indonesia has over 700 regional languages, with the exact number varying depending on the source. Some sources mention 718 regional languages, while others put the figure around 700.
Currently, Indonesia has 38 provinces spread from Sabang to Merauke. These provinces include the newly formed Provinces of Southwest Papua, South Papua, Central Papua, and Papua Pegunungan. Here is a complete list of the 38 provinces in Indonesia and their capitals: 

Province           Capital
1. Aceh          (Banda Aceh)
2. North Sumatra    (Medan)
3. West Sumatra      (Padang)
4. Riau
 (Pekanbaru)
5. Riau Islands
 (Tanjung Pinang)
6. Jambi
 (Jambi)
7.  South Sumatra
 (Palembang)
8. Bengkulu
 (Bengkulu)
9. Lampung
 (Bandar Lampung)
10. Bangka Belitung
 (Pangkal Pinang)
11. Banten
 (Serang)
12. DKI Jakarta
 (Jakarta)
13. West Java
 (Bandung)
14. Central Java
 (Semarang)
15. DI Yogyakarta
 (Yogyakarta)
16. East Java
 (Surabaya)
17. Bali
 (Denpasar)
18. West Nusa Tenggara
 (Mataram)
19. East Nusa Tenggara
 (Kupang)
20. West Kalimantan
 (Pontianak)
21. Central Kalimantan
 (Palangkaraya)
22. South Kalimantan
 (Banjarmasin)
23. East Kalimantan
 (Samarinda)
24. North Kalimantan
 (Tanjung Selor)
25. Sulawesi North
 (Manado)
26. Central Sulawesi
 (Palu)
27. South Sulawesi
 (Makassar)
28. Southeast Sulawesi
 (Kendari)
29. Gorontalo
 (Gorontalo)
30. West Sulawesi
 (Mamuju)
31. Maluku
 (Ambon)
32. North Maluku                 (Sofifi)
33. West Papua
 (Manokwari)
34. Papua 
   (Jayapura)
35. Papua Mountain          
(Jayawijaya)
36. Central Papua
  (Nabire)
37. South Papua
(Merauke)
38. Southwest Papua
 (Sorong).