With the holiday reputation of being one
of the most beautiful and diverse tourist
spots in Asia Pacific, Bali annually attracts
almost 1.000.000 visitors from around
the world.
Geographically, Bali is situated between
the island of Java and Lombok. Bali is
small, stretching approximately 140 km
from east to west, and 80 km from north
to south. The tallest of the string of
volcanic mountains that run from the east
to the west is Gunung Agung, wich erupted
in 1963. Located just 8º south of
equator, Bali boasts a tropical climate
with just two seasons (wet and dry) a
year with an average temperature of around
28º C.
The wide and gently sloping southern regions
play host to Bali’s farmed rice
terrace, which are among some of the most
spectacular holiday in the world. In the
hilly, northern coastal regions, the main
produce is coffee, copra, spices, vegetables,
cattle and rice.
The Balinese have strong spiritual roots
and despite the large influx tourist over
the years, their culture is still very
much alive. The main religion is agama
Hindu Dharma, which, although originally
from India, Comprises of unique blend
of Hindu, Buddhist, Javanese and ancient
indigenous beliefs' it is very different
from the Hinduism practiced in India today.
Naturally creative, the Balinese have
traditionally used their talents for religious
purposes and most of the beautiful work
to be seen here has been inspired by stories
from the Ramayana and other Hindu epics.
The Majority of Bali’s 3.000.000
people live, for the most part, in tight
village communities with large extended
families. The largest town are Denpasar
(the capital) and Singaraja in the north.
The main tourist are stretches from Kuta
to Seminyak.
Kuta became a major attraction during
the tourist boom of the 70’s because
of its famous holiday white-excotic sand
beaches, the surf and romantic stunning
sunsets.
Today, the Kuta to Seminyak stretches
is a major tourist destinations, with
hundreds of hotels, free entrance bars,
restaurants and shops. Those in search
of little peace and quit tend tohead for
the more sedate resort of exotic Sanur
and romantic Candi Dasa on the east coast
or Lovina in the north. Nusa Dua on the
southern-most peninsula of the island,
houses many five-star-hotels. The central
village of Ubud, in the hilly region of
Gianyar, has also blossomed as tourist
attraction and is now considered to be
the artistic and cultural center of Bali.
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