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Tentang Indonesia (About Indonesia) Posted by on May 24, 2016 in Uncategorized

This blog is all about the language and culture of Indonesia, so why not learn a bit about this fascinating country in its national language? Here’s a little reading activity – in Bahasa and then in English – accompanied by some vocabulary that will teach you about the country and provide a good language lesson as well.

Bahasa Indonesia Version

Mt. Bromo in Java.

Mt. Bromo in Java.

Ada beribu-ribu pulau di Indonesia, yang paling besar adalah Pulau Kalimantan dan yang paling padat penduduknya adalah Pulau Jawa. Jumlah penduduk Indonesia adalah kira-kira 250 juta orang. Makanan pokok mereka adalah beras. Sebagian besar penduduk Indonesia beragama Islam. Ada enam agama yang diakui pemerintah yaitu agama Islam, Katolik, Protestantisme, Hindu, Budha, danĀ Konfusianisme.

Indonesia adalah negara republik yang dipimpin oleh presiden. Masa jabatan presiden adalah lima tahun, tetapi dia bisa dipilih lagi. Dia dibantu oleh para menteri. Ada 34 propinsi di Indonesia. Setiap propinsi dikepalai oleh gubernur.

Ada dua musim di Indonesia, yaitu musim panas dan musim hujan. Musim panas biasanya berlangsung dari bulan Mei sampai bulan Oktober, dan musim hujan dari bulan November sampai bulan April.

Bahasa nasional Republik Indonesia adalah Bahasa Indonesia, tetapi ada juga bahasa daerah seperti Bahasa Bali, Lombok, Jawa, Sunda, dan yang lainnya. Jadi, hampir sebagian besar orang Indonesia berbicara sedikit-dikitnya dua bahasa, bahasa daerah dan Bahasa Indonesia.

Lagu kebangsaan Indonesia adalah Indonesia Raya dan bendera Indonesia berwarna merah putih. Merah berarti berani dan putih berarti suci.

English Version

A fisherman in Flores.

A fisherman in Flores.

There are thousands of islands in Indonesia, the biggest is Kintamani (Boreno) and the most densely populated is Java. The population of Indonesia is around 250 million people. Their staple food is rice. The majority of Indonesia’s population are Muslim. There are six government recognized religions, namely Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

Indonesia is a republic headed by a president. The presidential term is five years, but he can be elected again. He is assisted by ministers. There are 34 provinces in Indonesia. Each province is headed by a governor.

There are two seasons in Indonesia, namely the hot seasonĀ and rainy season. The summer usually lasts from May to October, and the rainy season from November to April.

The national language of Indonesia is Indonesian, but there are also regional languages like Bahasa Bali, Lombok, Java, Sunda, and others. So, most of the Indonesian people speak at least two languages, Indonesian and local languages.

The Indonesian national anthem is “Indonesia Raya” and the flag is red and white. Red means brave and white means holy.

Vocabulary

  • pulau = island

  • padat = populous/dense

  • jumlah penduduk = population

  • kira-kira = about/approximately

  • makanan pokok = staple food

  • agama = religion

  • pemerintah = government

  • yaitu = i.e./such as/namely

  • masa jabatan = term of office

  • musim = season

  • bahasa = language

  • hampir = almost

  • lagu kebangsaan = national anthem

  • bendera = flag

  • berani = brave

  • suci = holy

Questions

Now, try to answer these ten questions about the reading, in Indonesian of course!

  1. Ada berapa pulau di Indonesia?

  2. Berapa jumlah penduduk Indonesia?

  3. Ada berapa agama resmi di Indonesia?

  4. Apa makanan pokok penduduk Indonesia?

  5. Siapa kepala pemerintah Indonesia?

  6. Ada berapa propinsi di Indonesia?

  7. Kapan biasanya musim hujan?

  8. Apa bahasa resmi di Indonesia?

  9. Apa “Indonesia Raya” itu?

  10. Apa warna bendera Indonesia?

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About the Author: sasha

Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.