Geography and environment
Cultural Diversity and Biodiversity
Indonesia's current cultural landscape is shaped by the long standing indigenous influences as well as the effects of colonization from the Dutch and Japanese. However the diversity in culture arise mainly from the different indigenous groups who inhabited the many islands of the archipelago for centuries before communication. There are nearly 300 distinct cultural groups inhabiting roughly 6000 of the 17000 islands that comprise Indonesia however the most amazing feat is the language diversity where nearly 700 languages are spoken. Indonesia Is making a valiant effort as well to provide protection for some of the countries most important cultural items through UNESCO protection. Also through UNESCO the country has protected seven national sites as important cultural landmarks. Many of the items and places protected have a direct relation to the environment in that these items have been produced for centuries within the culture with only the items found in nature. Also the relation of areas such as the Komodo Lorentz National Park which is the largest national park in Southeast Asia and is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the world, named for a Dutch explorer who passed through over a century ago. The country openly celebrates diversity as can be shown through their national motto, " Bhinneka Tunggal Ika", which is an old Javanese expression usually translated as "unity in diversity." One of the strongest relations to the previous cultures especially in Bali is the continuance of the arts including the carving of deities, animals, and festive masks. Along with the Balinese carvings the preforming arts of the different islands hold a very strong connection to the past cultures of Indonesia and still are used today in many ceremonies. These ceremonies as well as protected landmarks are very important to the country for the reason of tourism as well and give visitors a glimpse into the past and diverse nature of the wonderful country.
http://www.embassyofindonesia.org/tourism/cultural.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/culture/2010-11/19/c_13613513.htm
http://realwonderoftheworld.com/lorentz-national-park/
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Indonesia.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/culture/2010-11/19/c_13613513.htm
http://realwonderoftheworld.com/lorentz-national-park/
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Indonesia.html
Climate map of the world
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/4/2/17425333/463259.gif?445)
This map shows the climates of all countries and regions across the world. As shown Indonesia exhibits an Equatorial fully humid climate, as well as Equatorial Monsoonal, and slightly Equatorial Winter dry in the southern most islands. This is important relating to the geography and vegetation found on the various islands of the archipelago.