The islands of the Indonesian archipelago are strung like beads across the equator. Clear blue seas lap pristine beaches, gentle breezes carry scents of spices and flowers, and divers are entranced by the ocean’s riches. Inland, dramatic volcanic ranges tower above a green mantle of terraced hillsides and lush rainforest. Bali offers an image of paradise: stunning scenery, gentle sarong-clad people and sunsets of legendary glory. On peaceful Lombok, life moves at a slower pace, while bustling Jakarta exhibits Indonesia’s cosmopolitan, modern face. Komodo Island’s ‘living dinosaurs’ and the entrancing ‘sea gardens’ of Suwalesi invite exploration, as do Borobudur’s architectural treasures, which include 5km (3 miles) of Buddhist relief carvings. Adventure-seekers head for Kalimantan’s remote jungle interior or explore Sumatra, with its teeming wildlife and wealth of tribal groups.

Yet modern Indonesia's amalgam of more than 17,500 islands and a wide variety of cultural and religious traditions, stemming from 1,000 years of maritime trade, have triggered troubles. The main independence movement, the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), emerged in the 1920s under the leadership of Ahmed Sukarno and, by 1949, finally claimed the country’s sovereignty. Such sovereignty did not get off to a good start - previous colonial powers had depleted much of Indonesia’s wealth while contributing little to its development. The Sukarno government also had to forge a national consciousness among dozens of mutually suspicious tribes and ethnic groups. The leaders therefore chose as their national motto the phrase Bhineka Tunggalika, meaning ‘unity in diversity’.

Yet these fabled isles of sunshine and spices have long been stalked by security issues, fired up by governmental corruption. The powerful Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) almost won a coup in 1965, but was defeated by an army led by General Suharto, wielding Western support. Between 400,000 and 1 million were massacred by that army in the aftermath of the coup. Sukarno, politically crippled, was replaced by Suharto, who remained president until his (forced) resignation in May 1998. Under the Suharto government, the army always held ultimate political power while a technocrat class was left to run the country day-to-day.

Since then, militant Islam has been threatening to tear the archipelago apart. Examples of inter-fighting include the Moluccan Islands, one of the few parts of Indonesia with a majority Christian population: since the beginning of 1999, they have been engaged in an increasingly violent struggle with Muslim militants that has claimed thousands of lives. Suicide bombing has occurred in Bali, most recently on 1 October 2005, and there remains a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia. The cataclysmic tsunami that occurred on 26 December 2004 further hampered Indonesia's economic and tourist progress.

However, from such a devastating tsunami also came a much-needed glimmer of hope: a peace agreement with separatist rebels was reached just as 2006 dawned, resulting in the withdrawal of state security forces from the Aceh province. In return, Free Aceh Movement rebels began disarmament and vowed to abolish their armed wing. Such withdrawal effectively ended a 29-year conflict that had claimed thousands upon thousands of lives.

However, until such a catalog of problems are fully resolved, many tourists will be deterred from traveling to Indonesia and will therefore miss out on its myriad marvels; and many of its residents will remain living amidst poverty, corruption and peril.

Geography
Indonesia lies between the mainland of South-East Asia and Australia in the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is the world’s largest archipelago state. Indonesia is made up of five main islands – Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Kalimantan (part of the island of Borneo) and Irian Jaya (the western half of New Guinea) – and 30 smaller archipelagos. In total, the Indonesian archipelago consists of about 17,508 islands; 6,000 of these are inhabited and stretch over 4,828km (3,000 miles), most lying in a volcanic belt with more than 300 volcanoes, the great majority of which are extinct. The landscape varies from island to island, ranging from high mountains and plateau to coastal lowlands and alluvial belts.