- “Srivijaya” is considered the first of the known Indonesian kingdoms, lasting until about 1400 A.D.
- Homo sapiens reached the region of Indonesia around 45,000 years ago.
- The name “Indonesia” is derived from the Latin word Indus meaning “Indian” and the Greek word nesos meaning “island.” Indonesia was originally called Indian Archipelago or East Indies Islands.
- The name “Indonesia” was coined in the 1850s by James Logan, editor of the Singapore-published Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia, as a shorter equivalent for the term “Indian Archipelago.”
- Indonesia is the world’s largest country comprised solely of islands. It is composed of 17,508 islands, some 6,000 of which are inhabited.
- The Javan rhino is an Indonesian native animal that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. An estimated 50 or fewer of these animals are in existence today.
- With 238 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world, just behind China, India, and the U.S. The island of Java, with over 140 million people, is the most populous island in the world.
- The Komodo dragon, found in Indonesia, is the largest lizard in the world, growing up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) in length and is the national animal of Indonesia.
- Marco Polo was the first European to visit Indonesia, in 1292.
- There’s a volcano in Indonesia that spews blue flames.
- Indonesia has the world’s highest rate of deforestation, with Brazil as a close second.
- Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Islamic population.
- There are 504 statues of Buddha in Borobudur Temple, which is the world’s largest Buddhist temple
- Bahasa Indonesia is Indonesia’s formal language, but the country recognizes more than 700 other languages as well.
- Indonesia has the largest ‘young’ population in the world with 165 million people under the age of 30, whereas only 8% of the population is aged over 60 years.
- During World War II, the Japanese invaded and occupied Indonesia from 1942 to 1945.
- Indonesia has the second longest coastline in the world (over 54,000km), after Canada
- With its rich variety of flora and fauna, Indonesia is second in the world after Brazil with the highest level of biodiversity in the world.
- Indonesia was once home to ‘Dolly’, the largest red-light district in Southeast Asia, housing up to 2,000 sex workers in one centralized location. It was shut down in June 2014.
- The world’s largest flower, Rafflesia Arnoldi, is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds(7kg).
- The Grasberg mine, located near Puncak Jaya, is the largest gold mine and the third largest copper mine in the world.
- Out of the 10 largest islands in the world, three are a part of Indonesia: Borneo, Papua/New Guinea, and Sumatra.
- There are 147 volcanoes in Indonesia.
- Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world. The lake’s supervolcanic eruption that occurred 70,000 years ago was the largest known explosive eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years. According to the Toba catastrophe theory, it killed most humans living at that time.
- Indonesia and Monaco have the same flag but Indonesia’s is slightly wider.
- Indonesia is one of the world’s largest producers of nutmeg, which is native to its Banda Islands.
- The average women in Bolivia, Indonesia, and Guatemala is short enough to be considered a Dwarf (4’10 or under).
- The word “ketchup” in English comes from the Indonesian word kecap, which is a sweet soy sauce.
- Indonesians do not openly discuss sex. The general term in Bahasa Indonesia for both male and female sexual organs is kemaluan, meaning “shame” or “embarrassment.”
- The Garuda (mythical bird) is the national bird of Indonesia.
- In 2010, a 2-year-old boy from Indonesia, Ardi Rizal, made headlines for having a 40-a-day smoking habit.
- Indonesians are the world’s shortest people.
- Pepper was introduced to Indonesia’s Sumatra and Java from south India around 600 B.C.
- One of the longest snakes ever found was discovered in Sulawesi, Indonesia in 1912. According to the Guinness World Records, the snake had a length of 10 meters (or about 32 ft 9.5 in).
- More than 35% of the species of birds and mammals in Indonesia are endemic, making it the second country in the world after Australia to have such a fleet of native species.
- The island of Sumatra was originally known as Swarnadwipa (“Island of Gold”). It was Marco Polo who corrupted the name to Sumatra in his 1292 report on his journey through the Indonesian archipelago.
- Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, contributing about half the world’s supply.
- Indonesia, under the name Dutch East Indies, was the first Asian team to participate in the FIFA World Cup. They qualified in 1938, but lost 6-0 against Hungary, in Reims, France.
- After first launching ‘Palapa’ in July 1976, Indonesia became the first developing country to operate their own domestic satellite system.
- The most odorous flower on Earth, Amorphophallus titanum, is found in Indonesia and can grow to an average height of two meters. When it blooms, it releases a foul odor comparable to rotten meat, which can be smelled from half a mile away. Also known as the “devil’s tongue”, it was originally discovered in 1878 in the rainforest of central Sumatra island, by the Italian botanist and explorer Dr. Oroardo Beccari.
- The nature of Indonesian national culture is somewhat similar to that of India.
- Indonesian cuisine has been influenced by Indian, Chinese, European and Middle Eastern cuisines.
- Among the Mappurondo on the Indonesian island of Borneo, they still practice headhunting in the ritual of pangngae; however, they use coconuts instead of real heads during their simulated “hunts.”
- Indonesia is the world’s leading exporter of frog legs.
- The famous “Java Man” fossil, subsequently named Homo erectus, was found by Dutch physician Eugene Dubois on the Indonesian island of Java in 1889. Since then, even older bones have been found in Java, and geochronologists have dated the oldest Homo erectus specimens to 1.7 million years old.
- One of Indonesia’s most interesting critters is the tiny nocturnal primate called the tarsier. These creatures, found on Sulawesi Island, are recognizable by their eyes, which are literally as big as their stomachs, so big they cannot rotate them in their sockets. Luckily, their heads can rotate 360° to compensate.
- Indonesia sees at least one volcanic eruption every year.
- After China, Indonesia is the world’s second-largest producer of instant noodles. The country is also home to the world’s largest instant noodle producer – Indofood.
- The traffic conditions in Indonesia are also difficult for a newbie to get comfortable with. Almost any space that is available on the busy roads will be taken up by motorcyclists.
- Indonesian children on Bali are traditionally always given at least four names.
