Indonesia

It's hot and wet during the wet season (October to April) and hot and dry during the dry season (May to September). Temperatures about 31°C (88°F) – 36°C (102°F) in coastal regions, dropping (but not by much) further inland. The best time to visit Indonesia in the south is from April to October. Northern islands tend to be wet all year round.

The Indonesian archipelago comprises more than 17,000 islands - 6000 of which are inhabited - and shares borders with Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Stretching like a backbone down the western coast of Sumatra is a line of active and extinct volcanoes. These continue through Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, then loop through the Banda Islands of Maluku to northeastern Sulawesi. Although Indonesia covers only 1,3% of Earth’s land surface, this island nation is home about 17% of earth plant’s and animal species, some of which are found no where else in the world.

Indonesia comprises a range of diverse societies and cultures. However, mass education, mass media and a policy of government-orchestrated nationalism have created a definite Indonesian national culture, with Bahasa Indonesia as its medium. Its distinctive cuisine and handcrafts have made the leap into an international forum.

Religious violence also plagued the Maluku islands, where Christians and Muslims reached a short-lived peace deal in February 2002. In April 2002, masked gunmen massacred 14 Christian villagers. Fighting between Christians and Muslims has claimed more than 6000 lives since 1999. In Irian Jaya and Aceh, guerrillas have been fighting for independence from Jakarta for decades.

Megawati Sukarnoputri's presidency deserves credit for restoring social stability and economic growth but was widely condemned as ineffectual in combating rampant institutional corruption. In September 2004, 80% of Indonesian voters turned up to vote in the country's first direct presidential ballot. Charismatic retired general - and sometime crooner - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (who holds an American management degree and is often referred to as SBY) won handsomely.

As the closest country to the epicentre of the earthquake and resulting tsunami in December 2004, Indonesia suffered the most physical damage and loss of human life. It's estimated that more than 128,000 people were killed and half a million were left homeless. At least 650 villages were destroyed. The hardest hits were Aceh and North Sumatra regions, while islands such as Nias, Hinako, Asu, Bawa and Simeulue also suffered widespread damage. A massive national and international aid operation responded to the tsunami and the affected areas slowly started to emerge from the rubble.

Another devastating earthquake hit the city of Yogyakarta in May 2006, causing thousands more casualties.

Since coming to power, SBY has made battling corruption and growing Islamic fundamentalism a priority. But according to some experts, the June 2006 release from prison of radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who was implicated in the 2002 Bali blasts, may yet cause the president a few headaches.