Geography & History of Java & Bali
Java lies between Sumatra, Bornea and Christmas Island, in the
Indian Ocean. It's the 13th largest island on the planet,
comparable in size to Britain but born of fierce volcanic activity
in the area millions of years ago, sometime after the Miocene era.
Archaeologists believe human activity in this region of Indonesia
dates back around 1.7 million years and that a fairly complex
societal structure arose quite early due to secluded
micro-environments within tribal boundaries. This meant that
bartering for different commodities evolved here sooner than it may
have in other parts of the world. In more modern years, both Java
and Bali have a history of religious tolerance, with communities
made up of Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims from between the 10th and
16th centuries. Following the Colonial period of the 18th and 19th
centuries, Christianity was also thrown into the mix. The
population of Java now stands at around 145 million people, making
it the most populated island on Earth, home to 57% of all
Indonesians.
Bali is just two miles east of Java and the islands are
separated by the Bali Strait, though Bali is smaller and with far
less population density than Java. Again, it is a volcanic
destination with active volcanoes not a rare sight to be able to
witness. Surrounded by delicate coral reefs, the beaches to the
south feature textbook white sand while those to the north are
uniquely adorned with the black sand characteristic of such a
volcanic region.
