The People Of Indonesia
With 238 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. There is an amazing 300 distinct ethnic groups among the people of Indonesia, and an equally amazing 742 different languages and dialects spoken there!
The vast majority of Indonesians are of Javanese extraction. They make up 43% of the population, or about 83 million people. The Javanese people are believed to have originated in Taiwan, and scholars believe they migrated to Indonesia some 3,000 years ago. They speak Javanese, which is part of the Austronesian class of languages. Interestingly, Javanese contains large numbers of words that are of the Sanskrit language. For centuries, the Javanese were Hindus and Buddhists, but after the coming of Islam, most of the population of Indonesia became Muslims. In fact, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. More than 86% of the population follows Islam.
The largest non-Javanese groups are Sudanese, Malays and Madurese. Another fairly large group are the Melanesians. An influential ethic minority are Chinese Indonesians who make up just 4% of the population, but who wield considerable sway in Indonesian society.
With so many ethnicities, one might think there is a great deal of ethnic, political and religious strife within the country – and so there is. Frankly, ethnic and religious violence has occasionally been explosive and destructive. But it can also be said that, in general, the many ethnic groups of Indonesia manage to live in harmony more than they live in strife. In recent years, ethnic violence has been somewhat muted.
The official language of the country is Indonesian, which is a form of Malay.
Anyone who attempts to pin down broad cultural generalities among the Indonesian people is in for a considerable challenge considering the millions of people and the dizzying array of cultures and languages. Perhaps the biggest influence on Indonesian culture is that of India, but Arabic and Chinese influences are also prevalent. There is even some European culture mix in the daily lives, art, styles, foods and dress of Indonesians.
Most people who visit Indonesia come away thinking that the food seems most like Chinese, but with a strong hint of spicy Indian cuisines in the mix.
Like many nations with rapidly emerging economies, more Indonesians live in large urban centers today than ever before. The rural-to-city shift is happening at a rapid rate as Indonesia moves aggressively to modernize and industrialize. The biggest city is Jakarta, the Capital, which is home to some 9.6 million people.
In general, the people of Indonesia have rejected a Communistic form of government in recent years, and are moving towards a much more pro-West but also pro-China posture. Indonesian leaders look to the recent economic boom in China and are attempting to emulate the Community-Capitalist mode China is using to gain ascendancy on the world stage.
So Indonesia is one of the most vibrant, ethnically diverse and robust countries in the world, and with a powerfully emerging economy to match. Educational standards are also improving rapidly and dramatically. Visitors will find friendly, modern-oriented people who are very cognizant of their growing importance among the global family of nations.
Incoming search terms:
- culture mix of indonesia
- indonesia population 9 6 million
- what tourists think about indonesia