People
Indonesia, with more than 194 million people, has the fourth largest
population in the world. More than 60 percent of the population
lives on the "inner" islands of Java, Madura, and Bali, which together
account for less than one-tenth of Indonesia's land area.
Indonesia can be considered a spectrum of all the Asian cultures,
races and religions. There are over 300 ethnic groups who speak
an estimated 583 different languages and dialects living in this
archipelago with a total area of 1,919,413 square kilometers.
Language
Bahasa Indonesia is the official language, which within this group,
many regional languages and dialects are spoken. English is the
most widely understood foreign language. Most of the Indonesians
are united by a common national language, Bahasa Indonesia.
Religion
Islam is the predominant religion, but it is also influenced by
elements of Hindu-Buddhism, "adat" and animism. About 10% are Christians
while the minority believe in Hinduism, Buddhism or Animism.
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