About Indonesia
- Geography
- Flora and Fauna
- History
- Culture and Education
- Languages and Dialects
- Government
- The People
- Religious Life and Traditions
- Provinces
- Transportation
- Science and Technology
- Telecommunication
- Agriculture
- Mining
- Health
- Mass Media
- Tourism & Travel
Languages and Dialects
More than 200 different ethnic groups live here, speaking of more than 300 different local languages. Girding the equator like a string of emeralds – the Indonesia islands comprises an ethnic kaleidoscope like no other on earth. In such diversity there is unity, called “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” many are one, unity in diversity.
There normally belong to the different ethnic groups of the population. Some of the distinctly different local languages are; Acehnese, Batak, Sundanese, Javanese, Sasak, Tetum of Timor, Dayak, Minahasa, Toraja, Buginese, Halmahera, Ambonese, Cermese, and several Irianese languages. To make the picture even more colourful, these languages are also spoken in different dialects.
The national language of Indonesia is “Bahasa Indonesia”. Originally it was the Malay language mainly spoken in the Riau Island. Although Bahasa Indonesia has became the lingua franca, local languages and dialects continue to be spoken and will not be abolished.
