Lampung

Lampung province is located at the extreme of south of Sumatra is overlooked, over flown by most tourists. In the past it was well known for its marvelous 'tapi' fabrics, some using real gold thread, and for its pepper. But today, it is the location from ambitious transmigration projects, resettling farmers from over-populated Java. It boasts volcanoes, wildlife reserve, megalithic remain and a superb coastline of deep-cut bays and wonderful beaches. Its capital is Bandar Lampung, is made up of twin cities that is Teluk Betung and Tanjung Karang. Way Kambas Nature Reserve is a 130,000 ha area of swamp and lowland forest with wild elephant, tapir and many other animals.

The name of Lampung province was taken from origin Lampungnese. Before Indonesia became independent country, a resident led Lampung region and the status was as residency area (Residentie lampungche districten) with many afdeling (afdeling Teloek betoeng, afdeling metroand afdeling kotabumi). The villages/old town with traditional living characteristic could be found like sukadana, menggala, kenali, liwa, blambangan umpu etc. A part of these town bacame the capital of district. In the first of 2000 was 7 millions the population of Lampung Province. Among 10 district / town, the most population was in central Lampung with 1.901.630 and the density population was in Bandar Lampung city, 3.763 soul/km2.

Geographically
Lampung province is located between 3o 45' and 6o 45' South Latitude and between 103o 40' and 105o 50' East Longitude. This province is bordered by:
North side: South Sumatra Province
South Side: Sunda Strait
West side: Bengkulu Province
East side: Java Sea

Wide Area
The wide area of Lampung province is 33,307 sq km,
Administrativelly
Lampung Province is divided among 4 regencies, 1 municipality and 1 administrative town with Bandar Lampung as its capital city.

Temperature
The humidity of this province is various between 50% and 86%, and the rainfall is ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 mm per year. The temperature ranges between 20o C and 34o C.

Demography
The migration flow to Lampung province is supported by the existence of heavy plantation, fishery and industry. In 1994, the total population of this province was 6,200,306 people, with its average density of 196.8 people per Km2.
Compared to the average national population growth amounted to 2.144% per year, this province was on the lower level with 2.12% per year during the 1990-1994 period. The projection and composition in 1997 can be seen on the following table.

Population
Lampung society consists of two main groups, respectively has special traditional law. They are Peminggir traditional society and Pepadun traditional society. Peminggir societies, such as, Krui, Ranau, Komering, and Kayu Agung society, live along the coast And, Pepadun society, who customarily conservative, such as, Abung (Abung Siwo Migo), Pubian (Pubian Telu Suku), Tulang Bawang (Migo Pak), Buai Lima (Way Kanan), and Sungkay Bunga Mayang, live in the inland.

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East Nusa Tenggara

East Nusa Tenggara Islands have been shaped by the power and force of an enormous chain of mountains and volcanoes, which begins from the North of Sumatra and stretches east across Java. The province consists of over 550 islands, but is dominated by the three main islands of Flores, Sumba, and Timor. Occupying a unique position at the junction of Australian and Asian submarine ridges marked by the Wallace Line, it is one the world's most dynamic and exotic marine environments with nearly every species of coral and tropical fish represented. The arid landscape of eastern and southeastern Nusa Tenggara is the result of hot, dry winds blasting in from the Australian continent. In fact, in many coastal areas not a drop of rain falls during most of the year.

Flores is a Portuguese name, which means 'flower' and ideally describes the beauty to be found here. This long island between Sumbawa and Timor is crowded with volcanoes and mountains dividing it into several distinct regions with individual languages and traditions. Predominantly Catholic and heavily influenced by the Portuguese, there are many examples of a strong European cultural heritage like eastern procession held in Larantuka, and the royal regalia of the former king in Maumere.

Formerly known as the Sandalwood Island, Sumba is now famous for its horses and an excellent style of ikat cloth. Spirits, both ancestral and natural are worshipped. Although some exist in East Sumba, it is in West Sumba that there are a number of enormous megalithic tombs and traditional thatched and peaked huts raised on stilts. It is here where incredible rituals take place, such as 'Pasola' where hundreds of horsemen fling spreads at each other in an annual ritual. Many traditional ceremonies, all with a component paying homage to the spirits, take place from July to October including the traditional houses and burials when sometimes hundreds of pigs, water buffaloes, horses, and dogs are scarified. Other ceremonies include 'Pajura' or traditional boxing, festivals for the Lunar New Year in October and November, horse races and ritual dances.



GEOGRAPHICALLY
East Nusa Tenggara is one of the four provinces in the Nusa Tenggara (Southeast Islands). Starting from Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and east Timor. It stretch is between 118° and 125° east longitude, and between 1 18° and 125°southern latitude lines, and between 8° and 12 ° southern latitude lines. The territory of East Nusa Tenggara Province comprises 566 islands. The three main islands are Flores, Sumba, and Timor from which come the term FLOBAMOR, which has been familiar as one of the names of East Nusa Tenggara.
Flores is the main volcanic island and has many unique and spectacular attractions, one of these is Mount Kelimutu with its lakes of distinct color variation, has become one of the fabled destinations travelers.
Sumba is the island famous for its arts, handicrafts, particularly the textile weaving, and cultural assets. The other name given to East Nusa Tenggara is "Nusa Cendana" the Sandalwood Island.

GEOLOGICALLY
Geologically, East Nusa Tenggara can be regarded as being divided into two zones: first, the volcanic inner curve formed by the islands Rinca, Komodo, Flores, Alor, Pantar, Adonara, Lembata and Solor, which have fertile soils and second, the out curve with limestone and rock formation, made up of the island Sumba, Sabu, Rote, Semau, and Timor.

DEMOGRAPHY
The total number of NTT inhabitants in 2001 was 3,888.735 - 1,919.644 (49.36%) men and 1,969.091 (50.64%) women. The most populated is Manggarai regency (621,989 people) and Kupang city is the most densely populated (1,517.30 people per square kilometer).

CLIMATE
Due to central highlands and their closeness to Australia, the seasons are irregular. Generally the islands are semi-arid, with a longer dry season lasting from March to November. The wet season lasts from December to March, but can be considerably shorter and small island of Savu. The average rainfall of this region is between 36 - 4,127 mm/year. The temperature is range from 20.3 C to 31.7 C.

TOPOGRAPHY
East Nusa Tenggara is mountainous, and very steep slopes are everywhere besides some not too wide plateaus or uplands. The lowlands are a long the coastal areas only. Despite of the situation, most part of this region is not fertile, since the rainfall varies between 500 mm and 2000 mm a year.
East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is includes 566 islands. In addition, there are 524 uninhabited islands. It covers an area of about 47,349.9 square kilometers, including 200,000 square kilometers of maritime territory. Roughly 57 percent of the territory is hilly, with cliffs. The lowlands lay generally around the beaches and river mouths.

WIDE AREA
The area of East Nusa Tenggara occupies an area of 49,879.98 square kilometers, and has a population of more than 3,500.000. It is divided into 12 regencies and one municipality. Kupang regency is the largest region (7,178.26 square kilometers) and the smallest region is Kupang city (160.34 km2).

LANGUAGES
There are a lot of languages spoken in East Nusa Tenggara coming from as many different which groups of the population. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language in Malay, written in Roman script and based in European orthography. In all tourist destination areas English is the number one foreign language fairly spoken and written.

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Bali

Bali Island, the perfect holiday destination for all ages offers something for everyone. Bali offers not just various customs but also various "adrenalin pump" parks. Many exciting amusements are available in Bali, with something new opening all the time. The number of offshore and inland attraction are on the rise because many tourists want them. This tropical paradise has a unique blend of modern tourist facilities combined with wonderful shopping and a rich past and heritage. After white water rafting that has gained popularity in Bali, comes offshore rafting or ocean rafting. The more adventurous sort of amusement has now become an alternative sport for tourists. Meanwhile white water rafting is still a popular activity with trips on Ayung, Telaga Waja, Unda Rivers, etc. The tourists can refresh their mind by watching beautiful scenery along the route. Those are not enough, some of the best surfing beaches in the world can be found on the western side of the island whilst conversely the eastern side is a wonderful haven for families, with beautiful white sand beaches and gentle seas.


Bali is small island, just 140 Km by 80 Km and lies between Java, the most highly populated and influential of all the islands, and Lombok, one of the quieter and moderately slower paced islands. Like many islands, Bali has developed a world of its own. It not only captures what is special about Indonesia but also has a uniqueness of its own.

The culture of Bali is unique. People say that the Balinese people have reached self-content. The Balinese people are proud of having preserved their unique Hindu culture against the advance of Islam, the dominant religion throughout Indonesia. This is still reflected in days to day life and can be seen in the numerous ceremonies, Balinese festivals and magnificent temples and palaces. The Balinese are skilled artisans, particularly in woodcarving and in fashioning objects of tortoiseshell and of gold, silver and other metals. The Balinese are noted for their traditional dance, the distinctive music of the gamelan and for their skills in weaving cloth of gold and silver threads, Songket, as well as for embroidering silk and cotton clothing. Stone and woodcarvings, traditional and modern paintings and intricately designed jewelry in gold and silver are readily available in shops and galleries throughout the island.

As for recreation, there is no shortage of options. Nature walks, horseback riding, diving, surfing - even bungy jumping and white water rafting - await the adventurous here.

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Banten

Banten is one of the young provinces in Republic of Indonesia. This region is situated in west Java. It can be reached about an hour from Jakarta. It's feel unbelievable, after the busy toll-way and hectic Jakarta as metropolitan city; we enter small and charming Banten. This city has a lot of treasure to whom that likes history. Such as the ruins of Surosowan Palace, Kaibon Palace, 'Masjid Agung Banten' [Banten Great Mosque, enlisted in Moslem's pilgrimage in Indonesia], Speelwijk fortress and Chinese temple Avalokiteshvara, and the harbor of Banten, Karanghantu [devil rock's harbor] that still used nowadays already existed since centuries ago. From this place, Sultan Banten's troopers took fight against the pirates and take defense from the Dutch.

Along with the prevailing regional government changing, in respect to the insistence of Banten People's aspiration to demand the separation from West Java Province, and after long process based on Law Number 23 Year 2000 concerning on Formation of Banten Province dated 17th October, 2000, established Banten Province as the 30th Province. Banten Province consists of 4 Regencies and 2 Cities, 94 Districts, 128 sub districts and 1,339 Villages. Geographically, the location of Banten Province is strategic because of the link between Java Island and Sumatra Island as well as the capital of Republic of Indonesia and West Java Province as a potential market of Banten's products.

The economic sector, that have a great potential resources and various to be developed, namely sectors in agriculture, industry/trade, tourism, mining/exploration, and also supported by the availability of variety natural resources in great amount. Industry sector contribute more than 52 % from total of Banten's GRDP, because in Banten there are 17 Industrial Zones equipped by good facilities and managed by professional private companies.

Banten is one of the newest provinces in Indonesia and also one of the richest. The province combines many of the most important Industrial Zones in Indonesia and also has the extended recreation areas along the western coast of Java and in south the Ujung Kulon National Park and the mountainous areas that are home to the Baduy people. Banten has the easiest access to Jakarta being merely an enclave in this province.

This province uses its own unique culture and language, both called Sundanese that is also used to call its people. The ancient kingdoms of Banten are Tarumanegara, Pajajaran, Banten and Cirebon would make interesting studies for the student of archaeology. Cirebon is located on the border between West and Central Java, having a mixed culture originating from the ancient Cirebon and Banten kingdoms, resulting in similar customs and dialects of the two people, although Banten city is located at the extreme western part of the province. Banten city on Banten Bay was one of the first places to begin trade with the Dutch. There is little to see of the past glories of this area today with the exception of the Grand Mosque, which was completed in 1599 and is certainly worth a visit.

The Province has a great number of attractions, from the wildlife reserve of Ujung Kulon on the southwestern tip of Java and the isolated communities of the mysterious Baduy to the unspoiled beaches. The villages are busy and attractive and the pace of life gets slower as we move towards the National Park in the southwest. From any point along the western coast we can see the "son of Krakatau" volcano, which rises impressively from the sea. Banten offers many different recreational experiences. The trip to Anyer area from Jakarta is now quick and easy because of the toll road, which connects Merak port with Jakarta. As we move further south along the west Java coast the lifestyle becomes more relaxed and after Labuan we move into more rural areas where the road conditions worsen and the lifstyle is relaxed. Here access to the forest areas begins and we can move back in time and enjoy the peace of nature. There is a bus each day from Labuan to Taman Jaya, which is on the edge of Ujung Kulon national park. There are simple cabins can be hired and a ranger can then take us on a walk into the park. It takes about six hours to reach a camping site.

Geography
The total area of Banten is 8,800.83 Km2, consisting of 4 Regencies and 2 Cities, which are divided into as follows:
- Serang Regency: 1.724,09 km2
- Lebak Regency: 2.859,96 km2
- Pandeglang Regency: 2.746,88 km2
- Tangerang Regency: 1.110,38 km2
- Cilegon Town: 175,50 km2
- Tangerang Town: 177,20 km2 _
Banten region is surrounded by Java Sea in the North. Sunda Straits in the West, and facing the India Ocean in the South. These make Banten as a region with very great of sea product resources.

Demography
Total population in 2001 was 8,258,055 persons, consists of 4,231,079 men (51.24%) and 4,026,976 (48.76%). The densely populated regency is in Tangerang with its total population 2,873,256 persons. The highest density Region is Tangerang City 7,362.26 persons/Km2 in 1990 until 2001 period. Population growth from increased at 2.99%/year. Total workforce or aged 15 years above in 2001 was 3,330,224 or 52.57%.

The coastal city of Banten, 75 kilometers west of Jakarta on the northern coast of Java, was one of the Asia's largest cosmopolitan trading harbors in the 16th and 17th century. Ships visited its port from Malacca, China, Vietnam, India, Arab, Portugal and Netherlands. At its peek, it was almost as important as Amsterdam. Nowadays Banten is only a small fishing village. There are still old buildings left which are worth a visit for someone who is interested in the history of Indonesia before and during the colonial times.

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