These mysterious mountains now lure hikers and mountaineering clubs, which have sprung up in Jakarta, Bandung, and other cities. Adventure travelers from other countries also find these volcanoes worth the trip. The most popular ones to climb are:

• the twin volcanoes of Gede and Pangrango in West Java;
• Semeru and Kelud in East Java;
• Merapi in Central Java; and
• Rinjani on Lombok.

On rare occasions, expeditions are made to the snow-covered summit of the Jayawijaya Range in Papua. Although it was not formed by volcanic activity, it is the highest point in Indonesia and one incredible adventure at 5,050 meters (16,000 feet).

Indonesia’s most famous volcano is Krakatau (known in the Western world as Krakatoa) in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra. When it blew up in 1883, the explosion and its after-effects circled the world. This volcano and many others have killed more than 150,000 people in Indonesia over the last 200 years. Following is a list of the deadliest Indonesian volcanic eruptions on record:

Mt. Tambora, Sumbawa: In 1815, it killed 92,000 people. This eruption was greater in size and power than the more famous eruption of Krakatau. About 10,000 people were killed directly as a result of eruptions and ash falls, while about 82,000 were subsequently killed by starvation and disease.

• Mt. Krakatau, Sunda Strait: This well-known volcano erupted repeatedly over August 26-27, 1883. The northern part of the island vanished into the air and sea. It killed more than 36,000 people, mostly those who lived on the neighboring islands of Java and Sumatra. The massive tsunamis caused by the explosion surged 10 miles inland on these two islands to kill most of the victims. The explosions were heard 3,000 miles away and the shock was felt as far away as California, 9,000 miles from ground zero. Since 1925, this volcano has visibly been regenerating itself and is violently active again.
• Mt. Kelut, East Java: In 1586, Kelut (also called Kelud) erupted and killed about 10,000 people. Most of the victims were killed by lahars—violent mudflows comprised of volcanic ash and debris saturated with water from the volcano’s crater lake.  In 1919, this volcano erupted again and killed more than 5,000 people.
• Mt. Galunggung, West Java:  In 1882, this volcano erupted and killed about 4,000 people with mudflows and hot ash.

Mt. Awu, Sangihe Besar Island in North Sulawesi Province: In 1711, Awu erupted and killed more than 3,000 people. In 1856, it erupted again and killed about 2,800 people. In 1892, it erupted again and killed about 1,500 people. In 1812, this deadly mountain killed another 960 people.

Mt. Merapi, Central Java: In 1672, Merapi, which means mountain of fire, erupted and killed about 3,000 people. In 1930, Merapi erupted again and killed about 1,300 people in the valleys below. In 1994, a scorching heat cloud from the volcano killed 66 villagers and farmers living on its slopes.

• Mt. Papandayan, West Java: In 1772, this volcano killed about 2,900 people with its ash flows.
• Mt. Agung, Bali: On March 17, 1963, an eruption blew the top off of the volcano and killed nearly 1,200 people. Agung is the island’s highest and most sacred mountain.
• Mt. Raung, East Java: In 1638 this volcano erupted and killed about 1,000 people.
• Mt. Iliwerung, Lomblen Island, which lies between Flores Island and Alor Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province: In 1979, this remote volcano erupted and killed about 500 people.

Mt. Semeru, East Java: In 1965, Semeru killed more than 250 people. This is the highest mountain on Java.  In 1981, Semeru killed another 250 people.

Mt. Kelut, East Java: In 1966, Kelut killed more than 200 people. In 1966, Kelut killed another 90 people.

Mt. Dieng, Central Java: In 1979, this volcano killed about 150 people. The Dieng volcanic complex in Central Java Province consists of two main volcanoes and about 20 smaller craters, several of which emit poisonous gas.

Waterfalls

Kalimantan (Borneo) is the third-largest island in the world. Three countries share Borneo: Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia.

Borneo is home to the world’s most dense and remote rainforests, as well as about 12 million people, 75 percent of whom live in Indonesia’s Kalimantan (KAH-lee-MAHN-tahn) region. Given the harsh nature of Kalimantan’s interior and lowlands, most settlements are along the rivers and coasts. Indonesia governs the southern two-thirds of Borneo, while

Malaysia and Brunei control smaller northern and western sections. Indonesia calls its region Kalimantan, which is divided into four provinces:

♦ Central Kalimantan, with the capital of Palangkaraya

♦ East Kalimantan, with the capital of Samarinda

♦ South Kalimantan, with the capital of Banjarmasin

♦ West Kalimantan, with the capital of Pontianak

Kalimantan is Indonesia’s second-largest province. It generates a substantial amount of wealth for the country because of its vast natural resources, including timber and gold. Its extensive oil reserves are now a key part of Indonesia’s economy, and diamonds, rare woods, rattan, and resin also are harvested from the island’s interior.

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River

In the middle of the nineteenth century, British zoologist Alfred Russel Wallace observed that the animals east of Bali and Borneo were closely associated with the species found in Australia. Meanwhile, the animals on the islands west of Lombok and Sulawesi had more in common with creatures from the Indo-Malayan region of Southeast Asia. This biological border has since been named the Wallace Line. In Papua, for example, there are major areas of dense forest and swamp similar to those of Sumatra and Kalimantan, but the large mammals of Asia, such as the tiger, rhinoceros, and elephant, are absent. Instead, many Australia-originating species are found on this side of the Wallace Line, including wallabies, carnivorous mice, bandicoots, and flying possums such as the sugar glider, which uses the membrane stretched between its legs to help it float from tree to tree. This region also features tree kangaroos, which are at home among the branches but find walking difficult. The spiny anteater, a creature related to the duck-billed platypus, also is found here.

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Rainforest Lily Pad

Indonesia is home to the second-largest rainforest in the world – second only to Brazil – with about 350 million acres. These forests contain an estimated 4,000 species of trees, 30,000 flowering plant species, 500 species of mammals, more than 1,500 species of birds, and 5,000 varieties of orchids. The flora of Indonesia ranges from the tiny orchid to the giant rafflesia plant—the largest flower in the world (up to three feet across). Many of these plants and animals are only found on these islands. Plants are integral to local life across Indonesia’s many islands. Local people use approximately six thousand species of plants for traditional herbal medicines and for important rituals and ceremonies.

Indonesia’s agricultural products include rubber, coconut, coffee, tea, cocoa, corn, spices, palm oil, tobacco, rice, and an abundance of vegetables and fruit, including more than a hundred types of bananas. The country has some of the richest timber resources in the world and the largest concentration of tropical woods, including teak, pinewood, rattan, and bamboo.

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Indonesian Coral Reefs

Indonesia’s 17,500 islands compose the largest and most varied archipelago on earth and span more than 3,100 miles from Asia to Australia. The country is more than 80 percent water, which includes more than fifty thousand miles of coastline – equal to nearly one-third of the earth’s circumference. This vast coastline offers more coral reefs than any other place in the world. Indonesia lies in the middle of the Indo-Pacific basin. This region extends from the Indian Ocean waters off East Africa all the way to the Hawaiian and Marquesas islands in the South Pacific. Trench is a term used to describe the seam of two tectonic plates deep under the oceans in the area. An upheaval along such a trench caused the December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean earthquake and the deadly tsunami that killed thousands of people throughout the region.

The central area, the waters around the Indonesian and Philippine islands, is the least known of the region’s oceans, and much more scientific work must be done. In tropical waters, where the temperature and salinity are right, corals have blossomed into massive gardens, with an amazing variety of forms and colors. The seas surrounding the Indonesian archipelago are considered an integral part of the nation, as evidenced in the country’s patriotic phrase “tanah air kita,” which literally means “our home, water, and land.” The seas have been a unifying force between the diverse cultures and peoples throughout the archipelago, since many Indonesians are dependent on the bounty of the seas. Fish, shellfish, pearls, seaweed, and shells are only a few of the treasurers found in Indonesia’s vast waters.

Indonesia has more coral reefs than any other place on earth. They are fed by rich nutrients in the ocean currents. These islands hold about 10 to 15 percent of the world’s coral reefs, many of which are still unknown. There are more than five hundred species of coral throughout these islands, including some of the most colorful species on the planet.

These waters are home to three thousand species of fish and thirty species of whales and dolphins. The Sulawesi Sea is the equivalent of a highway for sperm whales, dolphins, and other large marine life, such as sea turtles and manta rays. There are more species of fish, coral, and other marine life found in Indonesian waters than in any other country. Indonesia has an astounding array of marine life and some of the most spectacular diving in the world. Unfortunately, it is disappearing fast, due to human activity, including fishing with dynamite and cyanide.

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Komodo Dragon

Indonesia straddles the Asian and Australian continental plates, which generates abundant diversity among plant and animal life. This location also creates a stunning contrast of topographies and ecologies from east to west. You will find mist-shrouded volcanoes, glacier-topped mountains, unexplored rainforests, thousands of miles of beaches, and endless coral reefs. This diverse land also supports an abundance of wildlife, which makes Indonesia a rewarding destination for photographers. Indonesia has just 1 percent of the world’s land area, but this country is home to more than 10 percent of all mammal species and 17 percent of all birds. Indonesia has more known mammal species than any other country in the world. It also has more endangered mammals than any other country, including the endangered orangutan, Javan rhinoceros, Sumatran tiger, and Sumatran elephant.

Indonesia is home to leopards, king cobras, hornbills, proboscis monkeys, sun bears, wild boars, and hundreds of other rare and fascinating creatures. Scientists are still discovering several new species each year, especially on Borneo and in the highlands of Papua.

Technorati Tags: Indonesian Wildlife, Javan rhinoceros, Sumatran tiger, nature