Portal:Indonesia
The Indonesian Portal
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia), is a nation of islands consisting of almost 18,000 islands located in the South East Asian Archipelago. It covers the distance from Sabang in the west to Merauke to east (about 5,000 kilometres [3,100 mi]) and from the island of Miangas in the north to the islands of Rote to south (about 1,000 kilometres [620 mi]). The country respects its diversity with the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or "Unity in Diversity". Jakarta, the nation's capital city, is located on island of Java, which is one of the five most populous islands in the nation, along with Sumatra, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi and New Guinea. Europeans first started visiting the archipelago in the Sixteenth Century. For example the famous British circumnavigator, Sir Francis Drake arrived in Ternate in the Moluccas Islands in November 1579. Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and British continued to arrive over the next century. Later, these countries demanded more than spices and began colonising the archipelago. The Dutch ruled the area for more than 300 years and, in 1942, the Japanese arrived in Indonesia and ruled for three years. Indonesia declared its independence on 17 August 1945. It is the world's fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation, with more than 250 million citizens. Selected article The durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio. Durio zibethinus (pictured) is the only species available in the international market. The durian fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour (which some find offensive), and a formidable thorn-covered husk. Its name means "thorny fruit". Durian is widely known in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits". The fruit can grow up to 40 centimetres (16 in) long and 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter, and typically weighs 1 to 5 kilograms (2.2 to 11.0 lb). The British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described its taste as like a "rich custard highly flavoured with almonds", but with "occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes." (Read more...) Selected biography Albertus Soegijapranata (1896–1963) was the Apostolic Vicar of Semarang, and later its archbishop. He was also the first native Indonesian bishop and known for his pro-nationalistic stance, often expressed as "100% Catholic, 100% Indonesian". He was born in Surakarta, Dutch East Indies and moved to Yogyakarta when still young. Around 1909 he joined Xaverius College in Muntilan, where he became interested in Catholicism. He was in 1910. He decided to be a priest and was ordained in 1931. In 1934 he was given his own parish in Bintaran. In 1940 Soegijapranata was consecrated as the vicar apostolic of the newly established Apostolic Vicariate of Semarang. As apostolic vicar, Soegijapranata promoted nationalism and worked to get internatinal recognition for the newly independent Indonesia. He was elevated to archbishop in 1961 and, after his death, made a national hero. (Read more...) Did you know
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In the newsSelected picture_3.jpg) Photographer: Crisco 1492; Restoration: JJ Harrison; License: Creative Commons CC-BY-SA Indonesia TopicsWikiProjectsWant to help?: Related portalsAssociated Wikimedia
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