Indonesia
Indonesia, or otherwise known as the republic of Indonesia, is not like any ordinary country. Indonesia consists of more than seventeen thousand islands, although some a very large, and densely populated, others are small and uninhabited. The five primary islands in Indonesia are Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua New Guinea. There is also a group of islands called the Greater Sunda Islands. They are called this because they lie on the Sunda Shelf. The Greater Sunda Islands are Java, Bali, Sumatra, and Kalimantan.
Krakatau volcano
Between Sumatra and Java lies the Krakatau Volcano, in the Sunda Straight. The complex is made up of Panjang, Sertung, Rakata, and Anak Krakatau islands. The Volcano belongs to the Lampung Province. It’s largest explosion was on August 26, 1883, and caused around 36000 deaths due to mass tsunamis. The explosion was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT. Ever since then the volcano has been dormant for almost 44 years but has now awoken.
ijen plateau
In East Java, lies indoensia’s most famous crater, the Ijen Plateau. This plateau is also known as the Kawah Ijen. In the Ijen Plateau is a turquoise sulfur lake. It is surrounded by the crater walls and is 2148m above sea levels. Because of the massive amounts of sulfur in the lake, there are many sulfur miners. This plateau also consists of many animals and plants such as, coffee plantations, strawberries, and Kopi luwak, which Is a certain type of coffee bean. The homegrown sulfur is a very pure and natural source of sulfuric acid, and is in great demand in the oil refining business. Their pure sulfur is also used for the production of fertilizers.
Barisa mountain range
In southern Sumatra there is an area that includes more than 2,300 square miles of lowland, and sub-montane forest. This area is called the Barisa Mountain range. It is about 650 Km long and 100 km wide, and has a maximum elevation of 3,800m. there are many dormant, and active volcanoes around this area. The forest of the southern Barisa Mountains consists of forestry, agriculture, and villages. The forest used to be very dense, but ever since 1990, more than 20 percent of the forest are has been lost due to coffee plantations. Different types of plants grow in this area. In fact, there are more than 4,000 different types of plant species growing in this area such as Rafflesia flowers, and titan arum flowers. There are also many different types of animals living in this area, such as Sumatran tigers and Asian elephants. Many of the villages are being destroyed by these animals because they travel across the boundaries in search of food, shelter, and water.
climateBecause Indonesia is multiple islands, the climate is almost entirely tropical. The temperature on the mainland is maintained constant due to the warm waters, which make up 81 percent of Indonesia’s area. The High mountainous region is, on average, 23 degrees Celsius. The lower mountainous area is, on average, 26 degrees Celsius, and the coastal plains average 28 degrees Celsius. Usually the reason for different types of climates is temperature or air pressure, but in Indonesia’s case, rainfall is the cause for the type of climate in Indonesia. The wet season is between November and March. During these months, the average rainfall is 70-125 inches in the low lands. In the mountainous area, the average rainfall is 240 inches. Because of this, the humidity ranges from 70 and 90 percent. Between June and September, monsoons blow in from the south and east, and from the northwest between December and March.
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Musi RiverThe longest river in Sumatra, Indoensia is the Musi river. It is located in southern Sumatra and it about 750 kilometers long. It drains most of the south Sumatra province. It flows through the provincial capital, Palembang, then later joins several other rivers, such as the Banyuasin river. They join to for a delta in Sungsang. Its depth is 6.5 meters and is navigable by large ships. These large ships travel to major ports in the capital used to export petroleum, rubber, and coal. The mouth is also the sight of SilkAir Flight 185 plane crash. This crash killed all of the 104 passengers and crew in 1997.
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