Where is Indonesia?

I met a very smart and curious 12 years old boy during an online tournament, where we can compete while chat. He keeps on asking questions to me and one of the questions was, “Where is Indonesia?”

I wouldn’t blame that boy if he doesn’t know where Indonesia is, for at that age, he might still very busy learning about his own country’s geography. But that question reminds me of an interview I’ve had with a tourist in Soekarno Hatta Airport, Jakarta, years ago during college years when I worked as an outbound tourists surveyor. At that time, I was supposed to ask 30 questions related to tourists’ visit in Indonesia, such as where they were come from, where they go during their visit in Indonesia, what accommodation they’re using, souvenirs they buy, etc.

One day, during those survey days, I met a tourist who said, “No, I didn’t visit Indonesia. I went for a couple of days to Bali for a vacation. I am here just to transit from Bali, to Singapore, and then go back to my country.”

I thought that statement was very funny, but at that time what I’ve did was, doing all I can to explain if Bali is a part of Indonesian regions, while trying hard not to laugh. Thanks God,  he was finally laugh at him self, so that we can laugh together, after he realized if he was spending several days in Bali, which means he was also spent those days in Indonesia, without realizing if he was in Indonesia.

A couple of other people I’ve met online also said that they’ve heard of Indonesia, but they don’t know if Bali is in Indonesia. So, here’s a little fact about where is Indonesia, just for you to find out on the map.

Lying between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, with over 238 million people (4th most populous country in the world), the Republic of Indonesia, or Indonesia, is vast archipelago country in Southeast Asia. There were approximately 17 thousands more islands in Indonesia, some of the most well known, or big ones are Sumatera, Java, Madura, Bali, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku (Moluccas), Irian (Papua), etc. Four of those islands are shared with other nations: Malaysia, Brunei, Timor, and Papua New Guinea. Other neighboring countries are Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and India.

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