Having lived in Indonesia since 1999, I have had the chance to visit some locations in this vast archipelago of more than 17 000 islands, with a population of some 220 million people, with 300 different ethnic groups, who speak over 250 distinct languages. Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world and its people are predominately Muslims. More than half the population lives in Java and Bali which comprises only 7 per cent of the land area. Indonesia's complex and diverse range of cultures is mindboggling.