INDONESIA
Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country and one of the most culturally diverse, is sprawled across 18,000 islands with over 300 different ethnicities and dialects. Most tourists flock to the Hindu island of Bali, which is truly an unrivaled tropical paradise, but there is so much more to this vast nation. The people, most of whom are moderate muslims, range from urban professionals in Jakarta to village farmers and fishermen on most of the islands to stone-age tribal people in West Papua. This former Dutch colony that has been a democracy since 1945, offers the traveler immaculate beaches, clear turquoise seas, stunning mountains, and lush green jungles.
Indonesia often brings to mind recent events such as the two tsunamis, and the eruption of Mount Merapi, but these are isolated incidents in small parts of this massive country, and should not put anyone off the idea of visiting this wonderful place.
RAJA AMPAT ISLANDS
Raja Ampat Island is the most western district of the Indonesian province of Papua.
Raja Ampat consists of an area surrounding four major island
off the western coast of Birds Head Panisula of New Guinea Island.
The western half of which is Indonesia and the eastern half, Papua New Guinea.
The province was called Irian Jaya, and its a cluster of over 1500 small Islands.
Raja Ampat is the most bio-diverse location in the world more than 3000 species
of fishes and over 300 species of corals have been identified here, in a single one
and half hour dive you can identified more than 282 fish species and more than 400 species.
Till this very day the area is virtually unexplored and unknown due to its size.
This area as there are still many remnants of WW II.
are from mid-June until the end of August. During the rest of the year,
the sea is mostly very smooth whit good visibility.
TOBA LAKE
Toba Lake, also known as Danau Toba, is the most famous tourist attraction in North Sumatra. Lake Toba, located in the heart of the Batak country, is the largest lake in Indonesia and also in Southeast Asia with a surface area over one thousand square kilometers. Lake Toba is also the deepest lake in the world with over four hundred and fifty meters deep
The Toba caldera complex in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia consists of four overlapping volcanic craters that adjoin the Sumatran "volcanic front". The youngest and fourth caldera is the world’s largest Quarternary caldera (100 by 30 kilometres) and intercepts the three older calderas.
An estimate of 2500-3000 cubic kilometres of dense-rock equivalent pyroclastic material, nicknamed the Youngest Toba tuff, was blasted from the youngest caldera during one of the largest single eruptions in geologic history. Following the "Youngest Toba tuff eruption", a typical resurgent dome formed within the new caldera, joining two half-domes separated by a longitudinal graben.There are at least four cones, four stratovolcanoes and three craters visible in the lake.
Most of the people who live around Lake Toba are ethnically Bataks. Traditional Batak houses are noted for their distinctive roofs (which curve upwards at each end, as a boat's hull does) and their colorful deco
MENJANGAN ISLANDS
As a part of Bali Barat National Park, Menjangan Island is well known for its magnificent underwater world, beautiful coral reefs found nearby and the best site for fishing.. Another attraction of the island is protected deer. Menjangan, an inhibited island about 10 km offshore, offers deep coral reef walls and is one of Bali's best diving sites.
There are a few dive sites to choose from at Menjangan with good conditions and excellent visibility. It's also an interesting site for snorkeling. Menjangan also has a wreck , known as the 'Anker' because of its heavily encrusted anchor at the top of the reef. Fixed moorings have been built to prevent damag, and the island is reached by a 30 minutes boat ride from Labuan Lalang.
Pemuteran is an ideal place to plan excursions to West Bali National Park, compromising the nature reserve of Menjangan Island and the uplands in the west. Menjangan has the most beautiful coral reefs in Bali. Along with the nearby Labuan Lalang, this is a wonderful place for diving and snorkeling.
Menjangan’ s white sandy beaches make a nice location to break for lunch. Underwater, the drop-off along the south shore and eastern tip, facing the Bali Sea, are home to lots of colourful small fish and vertebrates, lacy sea fans and a variety of sponges. The sandy, gradual slopes of Menjangan’ s north coast is a final resting place for Bali’ s oldest dive able shipwreck, the Anker Wreck. Menjangan Islands north coast has also some beautiful snorkeling sites.
Even large pelagics are sometimes seen at Menjangan. Occasionally sightings of Whales, Whale sharks and Manta rays have been reported. Drift diving is usual, but currents are quite mild and all levels of divers can enjoy this area.
Mount MERAPI
Mount Merapi or Gunung Merapi in Indonesian language (bahasa), is a conical volcano in Central Java, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. Its name means Mountain of Fire. It is very close to the city of Yogyakarta, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1700 m above sea level. Several of its eruptions have caused fatalities. It was erupting from 1992 to 2002, and a particularly large explosion killed 43 people in 1994. It began erupting again in 2006, and scientists believe a large eruption is imminent. In light of the hazards it poses to populated areas, it has been designated a Decade Volcano.
Merapi is the youngest in a group of volcanoes in southern Java. It is situated at a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is sliding beneath the Eurasian Plate. It is one of at least 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire - a section of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and South East Asia. Stratigraphic analysis reveals that eruptions in the Merapi area began about 400,000 years ago, and from then until about 10,000 years ago, eruptions were typically effusive, and the outflowing lava emitted was basaltic. Since then, eruptions have become more explosive, with viscous andesitic lavas often generating lava domes. Dome collapse has often generated pyroclastic flows, and larger explosions, which have resulted in eruption columns, have also generated pyroclastic flows through column collapse.
Typically, small eruptions occur every two to three years, and larger ones every 10-15 years or so. Notable eruptions, often causing many deaths, have occurred in 1006, 1786, 1822, 1872 (the most violent eruption in recent history), and 1930—when thirteen villages were destroyed and 1400 people killed by pyroclastic flows. A very large eruption in 1006 is claimed to have covered all of central Java with ash. The volcanic devastation is claimed to have led to the collapse of the Hindu Kingdom of Mataram, however there is insufficient evidence from that era for this to be substantiated. Merapi continues hold particular significance for the Javanese: it is one of four places where officials from the royal palaces of Yogyakarta and Solo make annual offerings to placate the ancient Javanese spirits.
More like hers brother, Mount Merbabu is a favorite mountain for local and foreign mountaineers. The average temperature in its top is around 15 grade Celsius during the day, of course in the night, it’s biting cold. The magnificent Merbabu is in the middle of Central Java Province, comes from the word "Meru" means mountain and "Babu" means female or lady. For years it has been known as a sleeping mountain, but in fact it has 5 calderas, namely: Condrodimuko, Kombang, Kendang, Rebab & Sambernyowo. Mt. Merbabu last eruption was in 1968 which caused a lot of erosion. Usually it gives a tranquile atmosphere to its green beautiful environment.
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