|  With
a reputation as being one of the most beautiful
and diverse spots in Asia, Bali attracts
almost 1,000,000 visitors a year, from all
around the world. Geographically, Bali lies
between the island of Java and Lombok and
is one of more than 18, 000 islands that
makes up the Indonesian Archipelago. Bali
is small, stretching approximately 140 km
from east to west and 80 km from north to
south. Slightly off center, and running
east to west, is a string of volcanic mountains.
The tallest and the holiest is Gunung Agung,
which erupted in 1963, and killed around
2.000 people with the height 3,142 meters
above the sea level.
Lying just 8* south of the Equator, Bali
boasts a tropical climate with just two
seasons, wet and dry, a year and an average
annual temperature of around 28* C. the
rich volcanic soil and healthy monsoon season
make this island extremely fertile and a
range of crops are grown here. The wide
and gently sloping south regions play host
to Bali’s famed rice terraces, among some
of the most spectacular in the world. In
the hilly, northern coastal regions, the
main produce is coffee, copra, spices, vegetables,
cattle and rice. The Balinese people have
strong spiritual roots and despite the large
influx of tourist over the years, their
culture is still very much alive. The main
religion is Agama Hindu Dharma, which arrived
in Bali with the spread of Hinduism through
Sumatra and Java during The 11th century.
Although originally from India, the Balinese
religion is a unique blend of Hindu, Buddhist,
Javanese and ancient indigenous beliefs,
. With the arrival of Islam in neighboring
Java during the 13th century, a large number
of courtiers, artists, musicians, and craftsmen
fled to Bali, creating an artistic renaissance.
 Naturally
creative, the Balinese have traditionally
used their talent for religious purpose
and most of the beautiful work to be seen
here, has been inspired by stories from
the Ramayana and other Hindu epics. The
incredibly colorful cremation pyres and
the everyday offerings to the gods, placed
inside every shop and business, are made
with an eye for detail and beauty. The majority
of Bali’s 3,216,221 people live, for most
part, in tight village communities with
large extended families. The largest towns
are the capital Denpasar, population approximately
450,000, and Singaraja in the north. The
main tourist area are Kuta,legian, seminyak
situated near the airport. These small sleepy
villages become a major attraction during
the tourist boom of the 70’s, because of
their famed white-sand beaches, the surf
and stunning sunsets.
Today, Kuta is a major hustling resort town,
with hundreds of hotel, bars, restaurants
and shops. Those in search of a little peace
and quite tend to head for the more sedate
resorts of Sanur and Candi Dasa, on the
east coast, or Lovina in the north . Nusa
Dua and other tourist enclave on the southern
most peninsula of the island caters for
the more up market crowd and is home to
almost all of the bigger 5-star hotels.
The central village of Ubud, in the hilly
region of Gianyar, has also blossomed as
a tourist attraction and is now considered
to be the artistic and cultural center of
Bali Culture
POPULATION
The statistic data year 2002 showed that
total Bali population was 3.216.881 consist
of 1.632.995 (50.76%) men and 1.583.886
(49.24%) women. This figure reflects an
increment of 1.92% compared to last year.
The density population in Bali was 571 per
square kilometer covering the area of 5.632,86
square kilometer.
Most of Bali populations are Hindu, in year
2002 total number were 3.126.467 people
or 93.18%. The rest are Moslem 4.79%, Buddha
0.64%, Protestant 0.66% and Christian 0.72%.
Balinese people not only reside in Bali
but also spread all over various provinces
in Indonesia as the result transmigration
program. Balinese people are one of the
ethnic groups in Indonesia, who tied up
together by culture, language and religion.
The Balinese language has a special linguistic,
written and oral with its specific characters.
Traditional Balinese people bounded
to social aspect of life such as:
1.Obligation to worship God through
a particular temple
2.Obligation to worship
God through a family temple or community
temple
3.Attached to ownership
of property which belong to a particular
Subak (irrigation system in Bali)
4.to the social status
based on varna
5.to the closed relationship
in line with patrilineal system
6.to the membership of
a certain group
7.to the official administration
sub district
Population is an asset for the development
if you can maximize their potential, even
though they could be a burden if they have
no value or skill.
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