Indonesia

I ndonesia is derived from         Nagoya, Seoul, Singapore, Brunei,  "indos nesos", meaning          New Zealand, Sydney, Melbourne,    islands near India. It is       Perth, Darwin, Port Hedland and    the world’s largest archipelago       Auckland.                          with exactly 17, islands spread       The country’s second national      between the Asian continent and       carrier, Merpati Nusantara         Australia, and between the            Airlines, flies to 110 local       Pacific and the Indian oceans.        destinations and to Australia                                            (Darwin), Brunei Darussalam and    Air transport is the easiest and      East Malaysia (Kuching).           most comfortable means of travel                                         in Indonesia. Domestic air            The country’s three main gateways  service, including the remote         are Soekarno-Hatta International   areas are provided by Garuda          Airport, Polonia Airport and       Indonesia, Merpati Nusantara,         Ngurah Rai Airport.                Sempati Air, Bouraq and Mandala                                          Airlines.                             International airlines that serve                                        Indonesia are Singapore Airlines,  Garuda Indonesia, operates both       Malaysian Airlines System (MAS),   international and domestic routes     Qantas, Cathay Pacific, and JAL.   and the only airline with an                                             all-jet fleet for domestic            ENTRY REGULATIONS                  Indonesia operations. Garuda          Citizens of most countries can     serves Honolulu, Los Angeles,         stay 60 days without a visa.       London, Amsterdam, Brussels,                                             Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich, Rome,       CLIMATE                            Vienna, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah,     Indonesia’s climate is tropical,   Riyadh, Ho Chi Minh City,             hot, and humid but moderate in     Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei,           highlands.                         Manila, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur,                                             LANGUAGE                                                                 The national language is Bahasa       Inter-island ships are             Indonesia (a modified form of         comfortable and offer an           Malay), English, English, Dutch,      alternative to flying. There are   almost 600 local dialects, the        regular sailing schedules and      most widely spoken of which is        routes at the main port of         Javanese.                             Jakarta.                                                                                                    CURRENCY                              COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES                                                International Direct Dial Country  The official currency, Indonesian     Code = 62                          Rupiah (IDR) is valued at IDR         Fixed Lines = 10,000,000           9,704.7 per US Dollar.                Mobile Cellular = 30,000,000                                                                                DOMESTIC TRANSPORT                    Indonesia’s telecommunications     Domestic rail service is              service is generally good,         available throughout Java, parts      provided by an inter-island        of Sumatra, Jakarta, Bandung and      microwave system, HF radio police  Surabaya. There are comfortable       net, a domestic satellite          sleeper trains that serve             communications system and          Yogyakarta, Solo, and Semarang.       satellite earth stations.                                                                                   Bus services are also available       Indonesia’s GSM cellular service   and ply the Bali – Banda Aceh         providers are Telkomsel, PTT       route; many are air-conditioned       Saleti Palapa, Excelcom and PT     with reclining seats as well as       Indosat.                           TV with video programs. Cars can                                         also be hired, for longer out of      Several prepaid calling card and   town trips, from taxi or car          phone card companies are           rental companies.                     available to call both to and      from Indonesia.                        About the Author: Josiah William works in marketing for Cheap Phone Cards, Deal King, Snap Mobile and eCellular Read more articles by: Josiah William Article Source: www.iSnare.com