In the Diplomatic lunch program, we go where it’s warm. To the Republic of Indonesia, which is located between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, it is considered both a country of Southeast Asia and Oceania at the same time.
Indonesia can be proud of having many records. We will try to tell at least some of these most surprising facts in the program. Well, let’s start with the basic facts, which are impressive in themselves. In particular, Indonesia is a country with the world’s largest archipelago, which includes more than 13 thousand islands and islets, of which 922 are permanently inhabited. The most famous are, of course, the island of Sumatra, the island of Java, Borneo, New Guinea and Sulawesi.
It should be noted right away that Indonesia is one of the countries located in the so-called “Ring of Fire”. The “Ring of Fire” is the band on the globe that contains the most active volcanoes and epicenters of earthquakes. Namely, 90 percent of earthquakes and about 75 percent of volcanic eruptions occur right here. And also about 80 percent of all world tsunamis caused by these seismic processes occur right here.
In this connection, there is also another Indonesian record – the country has the largest number of active volcanoes in the world – as many as 76. What’s more – Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake in the world, can be found in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. Lake Toba is not only one of the most beautiful places on earth, but also a reminder of the majesty of nature. The crater was formed about 75 thousand years ago. It is more than a thousand square kilometers wide and reaches a depth of almost 500 meters in places.
Some tragic records are also associated with volcanic eruptions in the history of Indonesia. One of them is the largest volcanic eruption recorded in the history of conscious humanity (during the last 10 thousand years), which took place in 1815. The Tambora volcano erupts on the island of Sumbawa. The sound of the explosion could be heard even two thousand kilometers away. More than 70 thousand people died in Indonesia. The worst thing is that this eruption was so massive that the volcanic ash that covered the northern part of the globe resulted in the year 1816 being called the “year without a summer”. The lack of sunlight, as well as rainwater from volcanic ash, damaged crops in Europe and North America. This, in turn, caused the worst famine epidemic of the 19th century.
Let’s talk about records and terrible things very briefly – in Indonesia you can find “Rafflesia arnoldii” – a flower with the world’s largest flower, which can reach up to one meter in diameter and weigh up to 10 kilograms. What else is it famous for – with the name “corpse flower”, because it does not smell, but smells like rotting meat. It is found on the island of Sumatra and in botanical gardens around the world.
Indonesia is also the only place in the world where you can meet the world’s largest lizards – Komodo dragons. They are famous not only for the fact that they can reach up to three meters in length and weigh around 70 kilograms in a normal situation. They are also the only carnivorous lizards that have a venomous bite.
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2023-12-19 22:21:21
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