Indonesia, the complete official name is the Republic of Indonesia, is a large country in Southeast Asia. It is located on the islands of the Malay Archipelago and the western part of the island of New Guinea and is washed by the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The country has land borders with East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia. Indonesia is the largest island state in the world. The population is more than 252 million people; the area is almost 2 million square kilometers. The capital of the country is Jakarta. The official language is Indonesian.

Indonesia is situated on an archipelago of 17.8 thousand islands (according to official statistics) stretching for more than five thousand kilometers. The climate is tropical with distinct dry (April to October) and wet (November to March) seasons.

The national currency is the rupiah (Rp). You can exchange money at banks, most hotels and authorized exchange offices. All major cards are accepted in most shops and restaurants.

Indonesia, often called "the land of a thousand islands», is situated at the crossroads of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Its mild tropical climate, unspoiled nature, flourishing wildlife, hundreds of rivers descending from the mountains, beautiful valleys and small traditional villages located in mangrove forests, beautiful white-sand beaches, combined with ruins of ancient temples, lost in the dense tropical jungle and a striking mix of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam make this country very attractive for tourists.

The main tourist attractions in Indonesia are considered to be the islands of Bintanand Batam(tranquil beaches and first-class service), Kalimantan (huge biodiversity and fantastic diving), Sumatra (majestic volcanoes and endemic orangutans), Bali (stunning nature and lots of amazing temples), Java (pastoral landscapes contrasting with bustling metropolitan areas, situated on a narrow strip of land between two oceans), Lombok (traditional patriarchal atmosphere, not spoiled by emancipation and untouched equatorial forests), and Sulawesi (amazing land and underwater flora and fauna).

Airports

Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK), Jakarta

Juanda International Airport (SUB), Surabaya

Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), Bali

Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG), Makassar

Kualanamu International Airport (KNO), Medan, North Sumatra

Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport (BPN), Kalimantan

Hang Nadim International Airport (BTH) Batam

Adisucipto International Airport (JOG), Yogyakarta, Java Island

Achmad Yani International Airport (SRG), Semarang, Central Java

Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport (PLM), Palembang, South Sumatra

Diving in Indonesia

Indonesia’s warm and clear waters are home to more than 3 thousand fish species and about 6 hundred coral species – not to mention underwater volcanic mounts, deep trenches, and wrecks of World War II.

In Komodo National Park you can meet mantas, sharks and dolphins, dive over hot springs of an underwater volcano and see the last living dinosaur; in the Bunaken National Marine Park you will see various coral species; off the remote Banda Islands you have a chance to see whales and dolphins and try muck diving; Bali offers opportunities of wall and drift diving, as well as exploring picturesque coral reefs teeming with life and interesting wrecks (such as the 120m long US Liberty wreck); in Cenderawasih Bay you can dive with whale sharks; in the waters of islands Flores and Alor you can admire amazing rhinopias and many other marine critters. Off the southeast coast of Sulawesi there are fabulous coral gardens, while near its northern coast the clear waters are full with various fish species.