Indonesia - general information, weather, seasons, time

Indonesia is the largest island nation in the world and the largest country in the Southeast Asia.

This is a mysterious country where you will find everything you need for a wonderful and exciting holiday: a mild tropical climate and untouched nature, remote villages where the way of life has not changed in recent centuries, beaches with fine white sand and crystal clear water, luxury hotels surrounded by greenery gardens. Vacationing in Indonesia, you can feel yourself in several eras at once. Prehistoric rituals and rituals have been preserved here, and tribes live on some islands whose languages have not yet been studied by scientists. The nature of Indonesia is surprisingly diverse. Here you can find impenetrable jungles and majestic mountains, beautiful lagoons and ideal sandy beaches.

As a rule, Indonesia is visited by tourists and travelers who have already visited exotic countries of Southeast Asia for the first time, and now they are striving for something even bigger and exotic. Indonesia justifies itself and does not disappoint even such travelers.

The main tourist center of Indonesia - Bali island. A separate category of local tourists are newlyweds who came to the island of Bali on a honeymoon to hold a traditional Balinese wedding ceremony. Outdoor enthusiasts also have something to do here: whole generations of surfers have grown up on the shores of Indonesia. Numerous dive centers, yacht trips, hiking in the mountains, safari park diversify the rest of the most fastidious tourist.

Weather, tourist seasons

Indonesia is hot all year round, but the best time to visit is considered to be the dry season, usually April-October. November-March is the monsoon season (January and February are the wettest months).

In Indonesia, equatorial and sub-equatorial marine climates are distinguished. On the southern and eastern islands, in a subequatorial climate, there are two seasons per year: rainy (from November to February) and dry (from March to October). The rainy season is characterized by short morning or night thunderstorms.

It is worth noting that Indonesia is quite humid: in the rainy season, the relative humidity reaches 90%, and in the rest of the year - 80%. In general, about 3,000 mm of precipitation falls here per year, and most of all in the foothills.

Weather and climate in Bali

It is possible and necessary to visit Bali throughout the year. The temperature fluctuates slightly throughout the year, and the daytime temperature always stays within 20-33 degrees. In the ocean, the temperature is not lower than 26 degrees all year round. On the island, even on the hottest days, a light breeze is constantly blowing, and the heat is easily tolerated.

It should be remembered that Bali is located in the southern hemisphere (beyond the equator), and, accordingly, the hot and cool seasons are opposite here and on the island: when we have winter, Bali is hot; when we have summer, Bali is cool.

The high season and the best time for tourists to visit the island of Bali is the period from July to August. It is during this period that large crowds of tourists arrive on the island, and the price increase begins in early May, as soon as it gets dry, but still relatively cool.

The rainy season in Bali (from December to March) is the peak of the arrival of Russian tourists. The humidity of the air during this period reaches 95%. Most often, precipitation falls at night, and it rains for only an hour or two and falls locally, the rest of the time the sun shines. During the daytime, the sky may sometimes be overcast or overcast, but due to the constant winds, the clouds move very quickly and the situation changes very quickly. However, even under overcast skies it is hot and you can get sunburn. It is only worth noting that during the rainy season there may sometimes be problems with transport links, and for lovers of mountain tours and diving it is better to choose the dry season (unlike resort places where it is warm all year round, the weather is cool in the mountains in winter).

In the dry season from April to October, the sky is almost cloudless every day, and the weather is clear.

Current weather in Bali (Kuta) and forecast

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Time in Indonesia

There are several time zones in Indonesia: in Sumatra and Java, time is +4 hours ahead of Moscow time in winter and summer, Bali and Sulawesi are +5 hours ahead of Moscow time.

General information about the country

A state in Southeast Asia, located on 17,508 islands (according to other sources, on 18,110 islands) of the world's largest Malay Archipelago and the western part of the island. New Guinea. The land area is 1.9 million square kilometers. Controlled sea area (inland sea, territorial and archipelagic waters, exclusive economic zone) - 7.9 million square kilometers.

The population is about 240 million people (4th place in the world).

The main religions are: Islam - about 85% of the population; Protestantism and Catholicism - 10%; Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism, Confucianism, etc.

Administrative division: 33 administrative units (31 provinces, 2 special administrative districts – Jakarta and Yogyakarta). Capital: Jakarta (Java) with a population of over 10 million people.

National holiday – Independence Day – August 17, 1945

The official language is Indonesian, which is a branch of the Malay language.

The state system. A presidential-type unitary republic. The President is the head of state and the government formed by him, the supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He is elected by direct vote of the population for a period of 4 years. Since October 2004 – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (re-elected for a second term in July 2009). Vice-President – Budiono. Minister of Foreign Affairs - Marty Natalegawa.

The highest body of representative power is the People's Consultative Congress (NCC), consisting of the Council of People's Representatives (SNP), which performs the role of a permanent parliament (550 members), and the Council of Representatives of the Regions (SPR), which is endowed primarily with advisory functions on the relationship between the Center and the regions (128 members). The competence of the NCC in its entirety includes amending and amending the Constitution, as well as formally appointing the President and Vice-President to office and impeaching them in case of legally proven crimes or "official inconsistency". Members of both Chambers are elected by direct vote for a term of 4 years. The Chairman of the NCC is Taufik Kemas. The chairman of the SNP is Marzuki Ali. The Chairman of the SPR is Irman Gusman.

In April 2009, parliamentary elections were held, as a result of which nine parties were elected to the SNP. The largest representation was received by the Democratic Party (148 seats, 26%), the Golkar Party (108 seats, 19%), the Democratic Party of Struggle of Indonesia (93 seats, 17%). In addition, four Muslim political organizations (Justice and Welfare Party, National Mandate Party, Unity and Development Party and National Revival Party) and two secular parties – Gerindra (Movement for Greater Indonesia) and Hanura (People's Conscience Party) are represented in Parliament.

Economy

Indonesia is an agro-industrial country with a developed mining industry. The structure of GDP is formed by 36% due to industry, 16.3% - agriculture and fisheries, 10% - construction, electricity, gas and water supply – 0.8% and 6.3% - transport and communications. The services sector accounts for about 10.3%, finance and real estate - 7%, trade and restaurant and hotel business – 13.3% of GDP.

In 2009 GDP amounted to 600.6 billion US dollars, economic growth rate - 4.5%. The inflation rate is 2.7%.

The average annual per capita income is $2,590. Unemployment is 9% (the lowest rate in the last 10 years.). 42% of the population lives in poverty, and 11.4% of them are in poverty.

The volume of foreign trade in 2009 amounted to 213.4 billion US dollars (exports – 116.5 billion US dollars, imports – 96.9 billion US dollars). At the same time, the volume of exports decreased by 15% and imports – by 25% compared to 2008. In 2009, under the conditions of the GFC, the investment climate in Indonesia remains attractive to investors, the total volume of foreign investments made amounted to 10.82 billion US dollars, domestic investments made - 4.2 billion US dollars.

The country's external debt has grown to $149 billion.

The volume of crude oil production increased slightly, reaching 980 thousand barrels per day. Due to the preservation of the status of a net importer of oil, Indonesia announced its withdrawal from OPEC starting in January 2009.

In 2008 For the first time Indonesia managed to return to self–sufficiency with the main food product for the local population - rice.

The main trading partners are traditionally Japan, Singapore, the USA, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and the EU countries.

Domestic political situation

The domestic political situation in Indonesia is relatively stable. The Government of S.B.Yudhoyono manages to keep the processes taking place in the country under control.

The socio-economic situation is improving, and many crisis phenomena have been largely overcome. The uncompromising fight against corruption in all echelons of power continues. As part of this struggle, a number of high-ranking officials have been arrested.

The process of peaceful settlement in Aceh continues. Six local political parties are registered in the province. The former leader of the Movement for Free Ache, Hassan di Tiro, who returned after 30 years of emigration, confirmed that there was no alternative to the course of reconciliation between the former separatists and the Center. In addition, the activities of a number of separatist groups in the prov. Papua and Zap.Papua, located in the western part of the island. New Guinea.

As part of consistent anti-terrorist efforts, an offensive is being launched against the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization, which is considered the "viceroy" of Al-Qaeda in the Southeast Asian region. Despite the efforts of the authorities to eliminate terrorist groups, disorganize the underground and reduce its financial support, the terrorist network continues to exist, creating a serious threat to security, including for foreigners. On July 17, 2009, explosions occurred in Jakarta's Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels, as a result of which nine people were killed and 50 injured.

Foreign policy

In recent years, Indonesia has demonstrated high activity in the international arena, primarily due to its participation in the work of the UN Security Council in the period 2006-2008 as a non-permanent member, as well as the invitation to the "Group of Twenty" of the world's largest economies.

Indonesia pursues an active and independent foreign policy. The main efforts of Jakarta are aimed at creating favorable external conditions for maintaining high rates of economic development and completing democratic transformations, contributing to building a multipolar world, firmly upholding national interests, forming a positive image of Indonesia as a moderate Muslim country demonstrating compatibility of the values of democracy and Islam.

In recent years, Jakarta's diplomatic efforts have focused on the issues of combating global climate change. Indonesians are trying to play a more active role in resolving major international conflicts. A course has been taken to diversify bilateral ties with major external partners, primarily in order to attract more investments to the country.

As a recognized leader of ASEAN, Jakarta pays serious attention to the development of close cooperation within the framework of this association, the main goal of which remains the creation of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

Useful tips for Indonesia

• Stop at the hotel for unmarried couples. Theoretically, according to the laws of Indonesia, a man and a woman who are not married cannot stay in the same hotel room. In most large cities and tourist places this law is ignored, but in remote non-tourist places this rule still applies. Such rules do not apply to foreigners, but you need to be prepared for unnecessary questions if you have different surnames in your passport, and even for police raids on hotels.
• Showers and bathrooms in the guest houses. The most inexpensive guest houses in Indonesia do not have the usual shower or bathroom. They are replaced by a bucket of water and a ladle. Check the availability of normal breathing before checking in, if it's important for you.