Bali
Map
Bali Facts
Bali, well
known as a paradise island, a land of a thousand gods, thousand
temples, thousand dances, is located between the Pacific and
Indian Ocean, just below the equatorial line, on latitude
8 degree south and longitude 115 degree east.
The island is considered to be the most attractive island
to visitors. It is estimated that the were more than 3.000.000
visitors a year from all round the world. Most of them seek
an understanding of a way of life that is really unique.
Bali is unique as having the last dominant and still intact
spiritual culture. Many of the traditional rituals and practices
are just as alive today as they ever were, and the strength
and resilience of the Balinese people and their culture is
a testimony to the richess of their faith.
Most of Bali's 2.9 million people live in villages in the
central southern plains and in the capital towns of the eight
Kabupaten or regencies. Balinese society is collectivist
and place oriented. Villages are organized around community
temples, and collectively run by village councils called banjar.
This social structure remains strong,even in urban areas.
Family compounds often contain three generations and three
or four nuclear families, and each compound has a house temple
where the ancestral deities are honored. Customary law is
imbued with communal religious duties. More than 80 percent
of the economy is based on agriculture, the other sectors
being handicrafts, tourism, small trade, and professional
services. |
