Some background info and facts about Bali and Indonesia in general.

Bali Indonesia Background Info

Bali is both an island and a province of Indonesia, located just 1.6 km (1 mile) east of Java Bali has an area of 5,561 square km (2,147 square miles). Bali is relatively flat and densley populated in the south becoming mountainous and more sparsley populated in the north and east of the island. The capital of Bali is the city of Denpasar located in the south of Bali, other major towns include Singaraja in the north of the island, Klungkung and Gianyar in the south.

The Balinese People

The Balinese people differ from other Indonesians in adhering to the Hindu religion though their culture has been heavily influenced by the Javanese. Their language belongs to the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) linguistic family.

Balinese life centres upon religion, which is Hindu Saivism (Shaivism) fused with Buddhism, ancestor cults, and belief in spirits and magic. The Balinese believe in reincarnation, and the dead are cremated in order to liberate their souls for the onward journey.

Caste practices exist, but, because most of the population belong to the lowest caste, there is little formality among the villagers. As in Java, there are different modes of speech to reflect differences in social rank.

Bali Indonesia Tourism

Bali accounts for some 40% of the total Indonesian tourist industry and is of major importance to the Indonesian economy. The main tourist centres are the beach resorts of Kuta - Legian, Sanur and Nusa Dua in the south, Lovina in the north and Candi Dasa in the east. Bali attracts ??? million international and ??? million domestic tourists each year plus it is home to about 12,000 expatriate residents, many of whom work in the tourist industry.

Balinese Expatriates

About the Expatriate Community in Bali: While no one, including the government, has exact records, it is estimated that there are more than 10,000 expatriates living full or part-time on Bali. The reasons people are on Bali full or part-time include owning a business, employed in some form, doing export of Indonesian products or people who are retired here. There are many families resident here as witnessed by the eight schools that are expatriate administered and teach only in English : Bali International School, Sanur Independent School, Sunrise School, Montessori Kindergarten, International Community School, ABC High School, The English School and Australian International School. In addition there is a French School for French speaking children. There are many community groups active in Bali. Please click on Community Events in the menu to view the complete list.

Ubud is in the foothills north of Denpasar and is the heartland of Balinese culture and religion. Ubud is also the artistic capital of Bali, European and American artists, with a fine art museum.

the highest point being Mount Agung, or Bali Peak, 10,308 feet (3,142 m) in height and known locally as the “navel of the world.” It proved to be an active volcano, erupting in 1963 (after a dormancy of 120 years), killing more than 1,500 persons and leaving thousands homeless. The main lowland is south of the central mountains. The period of the southeast monsoon (May to November) is the dry season. Bali's flora (mostly hilly tropical rain forest) and fauna resemble those of Java. Some teak grows on Bali, and the giant banyan (waringin) trees are held sacred by the Balinese. Tigers are found in the west, and deer and wild pigs are numerous.

When Islam triumphed over Hinduism in Java (16th century), Bali became a refuge for many Hindu nobles, priests, and intellectuals. Today it is the only remaining stronghold of Hinduism in the archipelago, and Balinese life is centred on religion—a blend of Hinduism (especially that of the ‰aivite sect), Buddhism, Malay ancestor cult, and animistic and magical beliefs and practices. Places of worship are numerous and widespread, and there is a firm belief in reincarnation. Caste is observed, though less strictly than is the case in India, since nine-tenths of the population belong to the ‰¨dra, the lowest caste. The nobility is divided into priests (Brahman), the military and ruling royalty (Kshatriya), and the merchants (Vaisya). Some Muslims and Chinese live in northern and western Bali, and there are a few Christians. The Balinese language is distinct from that of eastern Java, but the upper-class form contains many Javanese and Sanskrit words.

All Balinese villages have temples and an assembly hall, usually located on a square that serves for festivals and markets. Each family lives in its own compound surrounded by earthen or stone walls. Population density in the lowlands is more than 1,500 per square mile (580 per square km).

Balinese farmers, raising principally rice, are organized into cooperative water-control boards. The average farm is 2.5 acres (1 hectare). About one-quarter of the agricultural acreage is irrigated, the remainder being used for yams, cassava,corn (maize), coconuts, fruits, and, occasionally, oil palm and coffee plantings. A large cattle population is supplemented by smaller livestock. There are several meat-processing plants; fishing is only a minor occupation. Food must be imported because of the growing population, but exports include beef, pork, coffee, copra, and palm oil. The tourist industry and the sale of craft articles are important to the economy. There is an airport on the south-central coast near Denpasar.

The Balinese are fond of music, poetry, dancing, and festivals, are extraordinarily able in arts and crafts, and are passionately fond of betting games, especially cockfighting. A typical Balinese gamelan (orchestra) consists of various percussion instruments, a two-string violin, and a flute; and every village has its gamelan club. Stage plays and, especially, dancing are an integral part of Balinese life, serving magico-religious purposes or telling stories by pantomime. The artistic temperament is also evident in sculpture, painting, silver work, and wood carving and bone carving and in the animal-shaped wooden coffins in which corpses are carried to the cremation ground. Visited by Chinese traders and Indian literati, the Balinese had embraced Hinduism by the 7th century AD. Mahendradatta, the mother of Airlangga (who ruled Java from 1019 to c. 1049), married Udayana, the Balinese king, and many Javanese Hindus immigrated to Bali. In 1284 Kertanagara, last king of Tumapel (Singhas(ri) in Java, captured Bali; upon his death in 1292, the island regained its independence. Bali came under the rule of the Majapahit empire of eastern Java in 1343 and continued under the Majapahits until the empire was overthrown in 1478 by Muslims. The Dutch first visited Bali in 1597, when the island was divided among a number of warring Muslim states. The Dutch annexed the northern Balinese states of Buleleng and Jembrana in 1882, and, in the 1894 Dutch invasion of nearby Lombok Island, the Balinese prince, Anak Agung Ktut, was killed. In 1906 the Dutch attacked Denpasar, massacred about 3,600 Balinese, and captured the whole island. Bali was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. In1946 a battle was fought between Dutch troops and Indonesian revolutionary forces at Marga in western Bali. The island became part of the Republic of Indonesia in 1950. Pop. (1988 est.) Bali and nearby smaller islands, 2,766,000.

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