Amazing how many 'mericans never heard of the 4th most populous country. Many confuse Bali with the fictional Bali Hai in James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" (book, play, and film). Of course changing names doesn't help (Dutch East Indies, Indian Archipelago, changed spellings). So far, the many islands have stayed unified, partly because the new country purposely chose Malay (Sumatra language) as the national language instead of Javanese (70% of population). They are currently moving the capital from Java to Borneo to be more centralized, partly because the eastern islands hold much promise for the future (minerals, fishing, ...).
Funniest is that they invaded Irian Jaya (western New Guinea) in 1965, claiming that because it was part of the former Dutch colony, which they despised, it should be part of the nation. Plus, it has gold mines. That led to the current separatist movement termed Free Papua.
Amazing how many 'mericans never heard of the 4th most populous country. Many confuse Bali with the fictional Bali Hai in James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" (book, play, and film). Of course changing names doesn't help (Dutch East Indies, Indian Archipelago, changed spellings). So far, the many islands have stayed unified, partly because the new country purposely chose Malay (Sumatra language) as the national language instead of Javanese (70% of population). They are currently moving the capital from Java to Borneo to be more centralized, partly because the eastern islands hold much promise for the future (minerals, fishing, ...).
Funniest is that they invaded Irian Jaya (western New Guinea) in 1965, claiming that because it was part of the former Dutch colony, which they despised, it should be part of the nation. Plus, it has gold mines. That led to the current separatist movement termed Free Papua.