CZECH ENGLISH INDONESIAN Last update: July, 2008	INDONESIA Sona Cermakova
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	Like a string of emeralds, Indonesia stretches on more than 13 500 islands around the equator. The Indonesian archipelago was one of the earliest inhabited regions and today is the fourth most populated country in the world. This immense country is home to more than 140 ethnic groups which speak 250 languages and dialects. Despite the Malay origin of the majority of the Indonesian peoples, the culture and customs of the various tribes are often quite different. Javanese shadow theatre wayang, various Balinese dances, large communal buildings on tall posts above the ground which are so typical of the Dayak tribe in Kalimantan, the unique dance-drama performance Randai of the Minangkabau tribe, textiles of the mountain tribe Manggarai, funeral ceremonies on the island of Sumba - these are just a few of the cultural pecularities of Indonesian ethnic groups. Indonesia is also the country with the highest number of Muslims in the world: almost 82% of her 200 million inhabitans claim to be Muslim. Islam started to make its way to Indonesia in the 13th century. Even though Islam eventually became the predominant religion in the archipelago, Indonesian Islam is often rooted in animism, Hinduism, Buddhism and local beliefs. Old beliefs and habits thus persist, eg. the Minangkabau tribe of Sumatra still stick to their matrilineal social system, even though the Minangkabau people converted to Islam a long time ago. After almost 350 years of Dutch rule and a three-year-long Japanese occupation, the future-to-be president of Indonesia, Sukarno proclaimed independence in August 1945. Despite all the religious and cultural differences the archipelago has become a united state, the Indonesian Republic, and "bahasa Indonesia" (the Indonesian language) the language of national unity. I spent an unforgettable year in Indonesia studying the Indonesian language, learning about the various cultural differences and travelling around. I would like to share my experience and knowledge about the Indonesian way of life. On this site, you can see photographs of the places I visited, read articles about the local cultures, scan news about the latest going-ons in Indonesia and check links to interesting sites on the Internet and books on Indonesia.