Insular Southeast Asia - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 469

country in the world. There are more than 350 ethnic
groups speaking an estimated 583 languages and di-
alects. Indonesia also has the world' s largest Muslim
population.
Indonesia' is geography is just as varied. There are
vast expanses of tropical swamps in Kalimantan (part
of the island of Borneo) and Sumatra and glaciers in
the central mountains of Papua (the western part of
the island of New Guinea formerly known as Irian
Jaya). There are more than 300 volcanoes, 200 of
which have been active in historical time. Indonesia' s
motto Bhinneka T Tunggal Ika —“Unity in Diversity”—is
fitting indeed.
Because of Indonesia' s cultural diversity , most people
first develop a regional identity , only learning the na-
tional language Bahasa Indonesia when they attend
school, and with it a national identity . The Indonesian
government is fully aware that national unity and na-
tional cultural identity must be created and sustained.
Indonesia can be divided into the inner islands and
outer islands. The inner islands are Java (Jawa), Bali, and
Madura. The outer islands are the rest, such as Sumatra
(Sumatera), Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and the islands of
Maluku (Figure 16-19). The political, historical, and
economic heart of the country is the islands of Java and
Bali. These two islands contain 67 percent of the popula-
tion but only 7 percent of the land area.

Figure 16-19
This woman is a Dayak who lives in the interior of eastern Kali-
mantan. The Dayaks were once head-hunters. Their traditional
way of life in the jungle is rapidly changing with resource
exploitation, deforestation, influx of migrants, and government im-
press from Java. Note the filter cigarette. Clove cigarettes are com-
monly smoked in Indonesia. Photograph courtesy of B. A. Weightman.

THE EARLY YEARS
As you already know , Southeast Asia lies across the great
trading routes from India to China. Chinese, Indian, and
Arab traders were common sights in the ports that dotted
the region.
In the Indonesian archipelago, there were two types
of states. First were the coastal states located at river
mouths with their secure harbors, which were dependent
on regional and international trade. Second were the in-
land states. These were based on agricultural production
derived from the rich volcanic soils and alluvial plains.
The most prominent states were in central and eastern
Java and Bali.
The earliest kingdoms were Hindu/Buddhist states.
The religions were adopted by local rulers who were at-
tracted by religious and philosophical ideas as well as
court rituals. Y ogyakarta is the center of this history and
culture. Within 48 miles (30 km) of this city are the great
monuments of Borobudur (Buddhist) and Prambanan
(Hindu) (Figures 14-7 and 14-8). The island of Bali re-
mains predominantly Hindu.

Founded in 650 AD, Sri Vijaya was one of several
sea-oriented states. Its capital was at Palembang in
southeastern Sumatra, and its location gave it access to
the region' s two strategic waterways: the Strait of Malacca
and the Sunda Strait. Palembang provided an excellent
port for ships riding the monsoon winds from India to
trade with China. The city became a center of Buddhist
learning and had more than 1,000 Buddhist monks in its
monasteries. Sri Vijaya expanded its territory so that it
could monopolize trade in the region. At its peak, the
empire controlled parts of southern Thailand, peninsular
Malaysia, western Java, and parts of western Borneo. Sri
Vijaya ruled the region' s sea lanes and trade until it was
defeated by the Javanese in 1290.