Indonesia Geography Analysis

This chapter presents an overview of the Republic of Indonesia, West Java Province and the research area, Kabupaten Subang, and its geographic location within the West-Java Province. It contains a brief description of the geographical and historical background of Indonesia, commencing from its geographic location and figures, its ancient history, through the Dutch period up to and after independence. As an island country in South-East Asia, its strategic position on a crossroads between two oceans, the Pacific and Indian and two continents, Asia and Australia, has inevitably influenced the social, cultural, political and economic life of the country.

The sociography of Subang is also elaborated and this includes a description of the history

It is predominantly mountainous spread throughout the length and breadth of the country. Some mountains are higher than 9,000 feet, which the highest mountain is Jaya Wijaya mountain in Papua. The geographic location of Indonesia, which is between two continents and two oceans, made Indonesia posses in the cross strategic position. Economically, Indonesia became an international hub for trading and transportation. Socially, the country became a melting plot for various people and culture, which is represented by the existence of hundreds of ethno-cultural groups. Politically, the position of Indonesia in the middle between two continents, has been influenced to the political involvement of Indonesia in any worldwide political cases. The government has been following the principle of ‘non-block’ since its independence. Apart from that, the position at the equator line affect to the tropical climate, which an average humidity of between 70 – 90%. It has two main seasons in Indonesia: dry season and wet season, and it alternates every six months. The wet season, mostly occurs from the month of September until February, while the dry season mostly happens from March to

Those local languages are mostly used by people of various ethno-cultural groups in their daily life, apart from their lingua franca, ‘bahasa Indonesia’, which is used mostly for education, business and official purposes (Cf. Antara 2008, Bahasa Kita 2009).

Figure 4.2 Systematic Representation of Human migration to Indonesia and other territories Source : https://www.aswangproject.com/understand-philippine-mythology-animism/ The numerous ethno-cultural groups could be explained from the historical view of ‘ancient’ Indonesia, which was evolved from the history of human migration. Although Indonesia has got its independence just about 72 years ago, however the history of the existence of the country has a very long story. About 100,000 years ago, human from Africa migrated into ‘ancient Indonesia’, which was known at that time as Sundaland. This history and beyond, including all the in evolution, adaptation and migration in to and out from the territory have influence the numerous ethno-cultural groups in