Read an Excerpt
Java is Indonesia’s political, economic and cultural heartland. With
60% of the country’s population, the capital Jakarta, and the great
bulk of Indonesia’s industrial muscle, Java is the critical piece in the
Indonesian jigsaw. It was here that many of the early, pre-colonial
empires and kingdoms were based – reflected in monuments
such as Borobudur and Prambanan, and in many smaller temples.
Cities like Yogyakarta and Solo remain vibrant artistic and cultural
centres, while Bogor and Bandung show more clearly the hand of
the relatively short-lived Dutch presence. The latter, particularly,
is renowned for its art deco architecture. Jakarta, as Indonesia’s
capital, has the most restaurants, the largest museums, and the
widest array of shopping, but it is not a particularly enticing city.
The hand of humans has always had to contend with the
forces of nature and nowhere is this clearer than in the battle
against Java’s volcanoes. From Krakatau off the west coast of
Java to Gunung Bromo in East Java, a spine of active volcanoes
runs through the island. While these volcanoes periodically bring
destruction, they also provide the basis for a string of hill resorts
and towns, and the fertile soil needed for feeding this incredibly
densely populated island.
