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More than 200 million people live on the 17,508 islands that constitute the largest
archipelago state in the world, home to the world’s largest Muslim population. Inhabited
originally by “Java Man” about 2 million years ago, their descendants took advantage of
the fertile fields and warm climates to live and prosper on what later became known as
the “Spice Islands.” The name Indonesia, derived from the Greek Indus, meaning “India”
and nesos, meaning “islands,” describes the fourth most populated country in the world,
dispersed over a land mass of six longitudes, two latitudes, two times zones, two
oceans, and two hemispheres.
[map from www.cia.gov]
This is not a geography lesson … but just take a minute to look at the map. Can’t
you just imagine romantic beaches, swaying palms, and the most diverse flora and
fauna on the planet … fresh fruit, rolling hills covered in tea plantations, abundance from
the sea … a paradise? For our public health purposes, however, I tend to look at a map
for cities that may have a referral hospital.
The main Indonesian island, Java, with its contaminated capital of Jakarta, has
quite a few hospitals. Southern Borneo has a couple. Aceh may have one or two
hospitals left after the devastating 2004 tsunami devoured everything -- but with the