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Airport
The 20 kilometer (13 mile) distance from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, named after Indonesia's first president and vice president, to central Jakarta will take from 40 minutes to an hour. The cheapest way into town is by air-conditioned bus, which heads for five drop off points in the city. The fare is 3,000 to 4,000 rupiah - a fraction of the 25,000 rupiah cost of taking a cab for about the same travel time. Travelers on unlimited budgets may opt for limousine service, which will set them back from 80,000 to 150,000 rupiah, excluding tips.

Visas
Travelers are required to hold a passport that is valid for six months after departure from Indonesia or East Timor, as well as proof of onward passage. A visa is not required of travelers staying up to two months.

The following nationals are allowed to stay in Indonesia for 60 days without a visa: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazilia, Brunai Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Maldives, Morocco, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Saudi, Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia.

Currency
One Indonesian rupiah is equal to 100 sen. The rupiah comes in 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 notes. Exchanging foreign currency for rupiah is not difficult in tourist belts, but could be a problem outside those areas. Travelers are allowed to bring only 50,000 rupiah in and out of the country. Click here for currency conversion.

travelers' checks and cash (particularly US dollars) are easily exchanged in hotels and banks.

Credit Cards
Visa, MasterCard and Amex, are widely accepted at high-end hotels, restaurants and shops, but not in small shops. Banks located in the cities advance cash on these cards. Fewer establishments accept Diners Club cards.

Climate
Tropical with temperatures averaging 28 degrees Celsius during the day and 25 degrees Celsius at night. The best season to visit is in the summer (May-September). It may be hot and humid outside, but it beats having to go out in heavy rain (October to April) when the roads get muddy. If you must go sightseeing in summer, early morning and late afternoon would be ideal. For a Jakarta weather forecast, click here.

Clothing
Light and casual clothes are suitable apparel in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta. For the mountains or rain forests, bring a sweater or several layers of clothing. Formal and business functions require a coat and tie or long-sleeved batik, a light cotton shirt with hand-painted prints.

Business Hours
Banks are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday. Shops' operating hours are usually from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except Sundays when they close earlier.

Tipping
Tipping is not a standard practice in Indonesia but it is better to be generous in this country, especially if the service is excellent. Porters appreciate gratuities of a few hundred rupiah per bag. Cabbies expect fares to be rounded up to the next 500 rupiah.

Emergency Numbers
Police: 110
Fire: 113
Ambulance - 118
Amex: +44 1273 696933
Diners Club: (62) (21) 5701255
Visa: (1) 410 581 9091
Directorate - General of Tourism: 386 0934

Electricity
220V, 50 Hz

Health Risks
Dengue fever, giardiasis, hepatitis, Japanese encephalitis, paratyphoid, rabies. Malaria is prevalent in most of Indonesia except in big tourist areas such as Java and Bali, Jakarta. Bilharzia (schistosomiasis), a parasitic disease that attacks the vital internal organs, is present in central Sulawesi. Avoid swimming in fresh water.

Vaccinations for polio, hepatitis, typhoid vaccinations are highly recommended, while a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required of travelers coming from high-risk areas.

Water is not potable and should be boiled or sterilized. Same with fresh milk; powdered milk should be mixed with boiled water.

Sanitation and health care standards are inferior to those in richer countries, and facilities outside the cities limited. travelers must ensure that they have health insurance that includes emergency transfers before they leave for Indonesia.

Time Zone
Indonesia has three time zones:

• GMT + 7 - western Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, West & Central Kalimantan)
• GMT +8 - central Indonesia (Bali, Nusa Tenggara, South & East Kalimantan Sulawesi)
• GMT +9 - east Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Maluku)

Holidays
2006
Jan 1 - New Year's Day.
Jan 10- Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice).
Feb 9-11- Chinese New Year.
Feb 10- Muharram (Islamic New Year).
Apr 9- Nyepi (Hindu New Year).
Apr 11- Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet).
April 14- Good Friday.
May 23- Waisak Day (Buddha's Birthday).
May 25- Ascension.
Aug 17- Indonesian Independence Day.
Aug 22- Lailat al Miraj (Ascension of the Prophet).
Nov 24- Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).
Dec 25- Christmas Day.
Dec 31- Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice).

2007
Jan 1 - New Year's Day.
Jan 29- Chinese New Year.
Jan 31- Muharram (Islamic New Year).
Mar 30- Nyepi (Hindu New Year).
Mar 31- Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet).
Apr 6- Good Friday.
May 13- Waisak Day (Buddha's Birthday).
May 17- Ascension.

GDP Growth Rate
4.1%

Inflation
11.9%

Exports
Textile and apparel, fuels, electrical appliances, pulp and paper, plywood

Imports
Manufactured products, raw materials, food, fuels

Trading Partners
Japan, United States, Germany, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong

Industries
Oil, gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, coffee, tourism, mining; rubber, wood, food and fuel processing

Teledensity
37 persons per phone line

Government
Military-ruled republic with executive, legislative and judicial branches

Geography
Located in Southeast Asia, between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, the Indonesian archipelago shares boundaries with Malaysia in the north and Papua New Guinea in the south. Indonesia's land area totals about 1 million square kilometers, composed of more than 17,000 islands spread out over 5,000 kilometers. About one-fourth of the country's 400 volcanoes are active.

Population
Indonesia: 234.89 million
Jakarta: 9 million

Ethnic Groups
A total of 365 ethnic and tribal groups mainly: Acehnese, Bataks, Minangkabaus in Sumatra; Javanese, Sundanese in Java; Balinese; Sasaks in Lombok; and Dani in Irian Jaya. Each one has a distinct culture and dialect

Language
Majority speak Bahasa Indonesia, a language very similar to Malay. But each of the ethnic groups speaks its own dialect. English is the most widely spoken foreign language, especially at high-end hotels, followed by Dutch, German, French, Japanese and Spanish.

Literacy
87.9%

Religion
Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism