The total land area of Indonesia amounts to somewhere in the region of 5,620 sq kms, although this is divided up into around 17,508 different islands that are scattered over both sides of the equator in-between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Its situation means that a number of other countries surround the archipelago of Indonesia - sharing land borders with the part of Malaysia on the island of Borneo, Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea, and East Timor on the island of Timor, Indonesia is also separated by narrow straits of water from Australia to the south and Singapore, the rest of Malaysia and all of the Philippines to the north. The fossilized remains of "Java Man" suggest that Indonesia was home to Homo Erectus some 2 million years ago, and even though approximately one third of Indonesia's islands are now inhabited, most of the country's population (which amounts to over 200 million people, 14 million of which reside in the capital city of Jakarta, on Java) occupy the five largest islands, Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and New Guinea, and the relatively tiny island of Bali, that has evolved into one of the most valuable assets Indonesia has for its thriving tourist industry.

Indonesia was borne out of violent seismic activity that continues to this day due to a geographical location where the Pacific, Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. With over 150 active volcanoes in Indonesia, some of which are islands in themselves, the threat of natural disaster is always possible in any area of the archipelago, yet has never been enough to deter people from living, working and holiday-ing in a destination whose outstanding scenic beauty and unique natural and cultural heritage more than makes up for the likelihood of being caught up in an earthquake. Volcanic activity is, after all, the very essence of Indonesia's natural identity and has created environments that are not only breathtaking to behold, attracting visitors from all over the world to a growing number of luxurious holiday villas in Indonesia, but also provide the kind of soil fertility that makes agriculture such an important factor for the economic development of the country, providing employment for a large percentage of its residents.

The biodiversity of Indonesia is staggering - with 80,000 kms of coastline, a huge variety of marine and coastal ecosystems exist just a few miles away from similar variations in habitats amongst the rugged, volcanic landscapes that dominate the interior of virtually every island of Indonesia, over 50% of which is swathed in tropical forest. The flora and fauna is comprised of a combination of both Asian and Australasian species, as many of the islands lying to the west of the Sunda Shelf were once connected to the mainland of Asia, and similarly, anything east of Bali shows greater influence from Australasia, the two areas separated only by the deep waters of the Lombok Strait. Indonesia's equatorial position gives rise to a tropical climate, and while temperatures vary little throughout the year, the dry season between April and September attracts higher levels of tourist interest than the wet season when relief from the 80% humidity is only made possible by frequent monsoons. Mountainous areas receive the highest levels of rainfall, so coastal situations are often preferred by many visitors to any of the islands, but even a beachside holiday villa in Bali is not going to save you from a soaking, even during the height of summer!

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