Indonesia

The Republic of
Indonesia, with Jakarta
as its capital, has its
independence day on
August 17, 1945
(Netherlands Declaration
of Independence).

Indonesia is the fourth

most populous nation in
the world, with around
255 million people; with a
life expectancy of 73.7
years and a mortality
rate of 6.6/1,000 inhab.
Indonesia is a country
located between Southeast
Asia and Oceania. Its
territory is made up of
around 17,500 volcanic
islands, with an area of more
than 1,900,000 km².
Indonesia has at least 150
active volcanoes, including
Krakatoa and Tambora.
It shares land borders with
Papua New Guinea, East
Timor and Malaysia.
The flora and fauna of
Indonesia is a mix of Asian
and Australasian species.
Forests cover approximately
60% of the country.
Indonesia has a wide range
of marine ecosystems. We
can find beaches, dunes,
estuaries, mangroves, coral
reefs, algae fields, intertidal
flats, marshes and small
island ecosystems.
However, both habitats and
animals have been affected
by pollution.
The national language of Indonesia has officially been introduced since the
country's independence and is known as Bahasa Indonesia. The dialects and
languages both spoken and written throughout the Indonesian archipelago
are more or less between 150 and 250 classified according to the usual
ethnic denominations.
region language/dialect region language/dialect

South Sumatra Rejang South Kalimantan Banjarese

North Sumatra Dairi Batak North Sumatra Acehnese

South Sulawesi Torajan Bali and Lombok Balinés

South Sumatra Lampung South Sulawesi Bunginés

South Sulawesi Makassarese Central Sumatra Minankkabau

North Sumatra Toba Bakat Madura and Java Madurés

Lombok Sasak West Java and Java Sudanés and Javanés

 V

The Indonesian Constitution does not impose religion, as long as it is within the five official
religions that are Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, among others, are
equally defended and treated as equals.

Islam in its different facets is the belief of approximately 88% of the population, among other
religious groups you can see the existence of more than 17 million Christians, more than 1.5
million Buddhists, the majority are of Chinese origin. Hinduism, which years ago was quite
important, is isolated on the island of Bali and somewhere in the far east of Java.
Elaborating more on the
Islamic religion:

- Pork meat is prohibited, as

well as those animals that have
not been bled.
- It is forbidden to drink wine
and alcoholic beverages.
- You must not drink from gold
or silver vessels.
- You have to use your right
hand to eat and your left hand
to groom yourself.
- Kissing in public is punishable by law.
- The distribution of drugs and the consumption of these are prohibited.
- Ask permission before taking pictures.
- You should not show anger or annoyance. It is frowned upon to frown.
- Don't touch people's heads, which is the seat of the soul.
- Take off your shoes in houses and mosques, even in some shops and restaurants.
- Always accept the food that is offered to you.
- Gently reject requests made to you on the street.
- Use both hands to give something to an older person, as a sign of respect.
More common diseases

- Traveler's diarrhea (water distribution systems are

not always safe)
- Hepatitis A (the Indonesian government does not
finance the vaccine to the population)
- Hepatitis E. Large epidemics in West Kalimantan,
between October and November. High
seroprevalence. Specific epidemics in the rest of the
country (Java, Jakarta…)
- Typhoid fever
- Anger.
- Listeriosis. Take care of hygiene and preparation in
the consumption of cheeses and dairy products.
- Brucellosis
- Gnathostoma. It is transmitted by eating
contaminated raw fish.
- Angiostrongyl.
· In Indonesia, only local doctors can be consulted, as they are the only
ones authorized to practice in the country. Some foreign doctors
continue to work in private clinics, but as international consultants.
Therefore, you will never be treated by an international doctor.
· Maternity has a rest period of three days.
· Funeral customs vary. Burial is more common, except in the case of
Hindu Bali, where cremation is the norm.
· They usually take traditional herbal medicine.