The People

The fourth most populous, nation in the world, Indonesia's 210 million people speak more than 300 very different of languages, and range from cosmopolitan is city dwellers to sea gypsies. Sixty percent of the people inhabit a mere seven percent in of Indonesia's land area, on the island of Java. Bahasa Indonesia is officially recognised as the national language and, while as spoken widely, there are still many areas hat where dialects and regional languages i of are spoken exclusively English is the most common second language. Each of the ethnic groups has distinct festivities connected the with birth, marriage and death, and many hold huge religious festivals.

The population is mainly Muslim, with substantial and Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities. are also many temples from the Buddhist and Hindu dynasties such as those in Borobudur, Prambanan and the Dieng Plateau, the palaces of the Sultans in Surakarta and Yogyakarta, the Maimoon Palace of the Sultanate of Deli in Medan, and the Hall of justice in Bali. There are remote villages, the ruins of ancient fortresses and museums, mosques and churches, and graves of former royalty and national heroes.