Word: archipelagos
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...fears of fire and brimstone and killer surf, Flores represents a gentle face of Indonesia. It's a perfect antidote for those bored with Bali and jittery about politically volatile Java. The friendly, predominantly Christian populace has remained free of the religious and tribal violence that has wracked the archipelago. Much of the island is postcard gorgeous. The mineral glitter of its beaches cedes to vertiginous mountains and the misty mysteries of half-hidden valleys. "Most visitors are surprised by the unspoiled beauty of Flores," says Koro. "And the people here have realized tourism is our only hope...
...both staging area and refuge for terrorism. Along with Malaysia, Indonesia is one of the likely operational bases for Jemaah Islamiah, a pan-Southeast Asian terrorist group with al-Qaeda connections. While President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government has long denied the presence of substantial terror networks on the archipelago, it is willing to take Washington's $50 million. As the cold war painfully taught us, it takes time, money, and unfortunately, boots on the ground to win a war this ambitious. The U.S., so far at least, has been willing to commit all three in Asia...
...prosecutors. Ostensibly intended to deliver justice to victims who were murdered or wounded while simply trying to vote in East Timor's independence referendum, the trials have come to symbolize Indonesia's struggle to rein in the military's influence on virtually every aspect of life in this sprawling archipelago...
...GOTO Goto means five islands in Japanese, but this archipelago is actually made up of more than 150. For centuries it was home to Japan's "hidden Christians," who practiced their faith despite an imperial ban. Today, Christianity is still practiced, and freely. Local villagers concentrate on farming and fishing, but tourism is growing. Take the four-hour ferry ride from Ohata terminal in Nagasaki to sample sandy beaches, scuba diving, hot springs and golf courses...
Hitting the Wall The shifting of continental plates that created the Indonesian archipelago also gave Selayar Island its unique geography?the western side of the island slopes gently into the sea, but the eastern side's verdant hills plunge directly into the roiling surf, as if they were hacked in half with a machete. Thirty meters from shore, this geographic slicing is repeated underwater. The island mass stops abruptly in a vertical fall to the ocean floor, some 1,000 meters below. Unlike the dynamite-ravaged reefs that surround much of Selayar, the sheer rock face remains untouched and teems...