Indonesia consists of thousand islands which can mindblowing our mind with their beauty. If you explore all of them, you will amaze that some of them are unfamiliar to you. That is why people sometimes call them the new island.
As the archipelago country, Indonesia has the biggest island complete with the crowd of population. Here we have the 5 lists of the largest islands in Indonesia from the top to the bottom. Let’s check them out!
1. New Guinea
New Guinea island claims as to the biggest island in Indonesia which has about 768.000 km square large. This island parted as two-part which the side of it becomes the part of Indonesia. It used to be one part of Indonesia as the whole island, but in 1965 the east part secedes from Indonesia.
Since then, the east side becomes the New Guniea country, while the west side remains as the Papua province as part of the Indonesian country. Papua province has more than 3, 486 million people whose living there in 2014. Most of them are local tribes calls as the Papuan tribes from the Autralomelanesid races.
Papua province consists of the West Papua and East Papua where the Jayapura region becomes the capital city. The highest place is about 4,844 m of high at the top of the Jaya Wijaya mountain. The mountain has the most beautiful scenery with the glacier on its. It also has the Lorentz national park as one of the world heritage sites in Indonesia.
2. Borneo
Borneo island or Indonesia becomes famous with Kalimantan island is the second biggest island in Indonesia. This island has about 743.330 km square of large which parted by three regions. The most north part becomes Brunei Darussalam country, the north part becomes the part of Malaysia, and Indonesia has the whole south areas.
Kalimantan region parted as 5 provinces as the west, east, north, south, and center province. The highest place in Kalimantan located in the Kinabalu mount in Sabah, Malaysia which has about 4.095 m. Not only has beautiful scenery, but Kinabalu mount also has the greatest forest on its.
Based on the BPS in 2015, the Kalimantan region has more than 16.23 million of the population whose living there. Most of them live spread in the 5 provinces, while the 3.6 million people live in the East of Kalimantan which becomes the new capital city of Indonesia. Most of them are local Kalimantan tribes call as the Dayak tribe which has the famous cultures in Indonesia.
3. Sumatera
Sumatera Island becomes the third biggest island in Indonesia with about 443.065 km square of large. The island has the elongated regions which the Kerinci mount claim as the highest place there. It has about 3,805 m of high which located in the west of Sumatera province.
Sumatera island consists of 10 provinces such as Aceh, the North Sumatera, West Sumatera, Riau islands, Riau, Jambi, the south of Sumatera, Bangka Belitung islands, Bengkulu, and Lampung province. The total population on this island has more than 57,9 million people in 2018. That makes this island has a richest cultures such as the north Sumatran folktales.
The population in Sumatera islands has a unique population where most of the region has its local tribe. The tribe in Aceh is different from the tribe in west Sumatera, Lampung, Jambi, and other provinces. And so does the language, every province has their mother language which differs from one to others.
4. Sulawesi
Sulawesi island becomes the fourth biggest island in Indonesia with about 126.700 km square of large. The island used to know as the Celebes island but for Indonesian, it is familiar with the Sulawesi. The island has unique areas that form as the K in alphabet.
The highest place in Sulawesi island is about 3,478 m which located in the mount of Rantemario in the south of Sulawesi. Most of Sulawesi has the hilly areas so that makes this island has unique floras and faunas.
In 2014, the total population in Sulawesi island has reached more than 18,4 million people. Most of them are the local tribe from Sulawesi island such as Toraja, Bugis, Mandar, Makasar, other local tribes.
Sulawesi island consists of 6 provinces that spread as the north, west, south, center, southeast of Sulawesi, and Gorontalo province. Most of the province has more than one tribes and languages so that makes Sulawesi island has the richest tribes in Indonesia.
5. Java
Java island becomes the fifth biggest island in Indonesia with about 126.700 km square of large. The highest place claims at the 3,676 m high which located in the mount of Semeru in the east of Java province.
Java island consists of 6 provinces which spread as the DKI Jakarta, Banten, East, West, and Central Java, and DI Yogyakarta. Most of them are Javanese, Sundanese, and about 17 % of the Maduranese tribe as the facts about Javanese culture.
Java island becomes the most crowded population living island in Indonesia. Moreover in the DKI Jakarta province as the capital city of Indonesia. Based on the BPS data in 2019, the total population reaches more than 150.4 million people. This total population almost reaches half of the total population in Indonesia.
Java island becomes the center of government duty, business things, education, health center, and also travel and food hunting.
So, there is the 5 largest island in Indonesia that you should know. Every island has its beauty and cultures that no other island has it. And you will find the reason why learning Indonesian is easy to compare to the languages that exist from the Indonesian tribe. So, which island you live in Indonesia?
