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BALI
The island of Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia. The island has an area of 5 632 square kilometers (2,175 square miles). It measures about 100 kilometres from north to south and about 150 kilometres from east to west.
There are six volcanoes on Bali. They stretch in a line from east to west. The highest ,Mount Agung, an active volcano, is 3 142 metres high.
There are tropical forests, crater lakes and many fast flowing rivers. White sand beaches in the south and beaches covered with gray or black volcanic sand are popular places for tourists.
Flora
Banyan trees, tamarind, clove and acacia trees all grow in the south, and there are mangroves too. A dozen different kinds of of coconut palms.
....................................................Mt Batur, one of Bali's volcanoes © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation....
Flowers such as hibiscus, bougainvillea, jasmine, water lilies, magnolia, frangipani, and orchids can be seen in most places. The Balinese use the flowers to decorate their temples and as offerings for the gods.
Fauna
Various species of monkeys, civets, barking deer and mouse deer live on the island. There are about 300 species of birds. Blue kingfishers, sea eagles, white herons and egrets are some of the birds living there.
Dolphins, coral fish, moray eels, and whale sharks live in the sea and in the coaral reef that surround the island.
Once, elephants and tigers lived on Bali but they are now extinct on the island.
Climate
All year round the temperature on Bali is between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. The wet monsoon season is from December to March and the dry, cooler months are from June to September.
Population
A Hindu temple © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation
More than 3 million Balinese people live on the island, and most live along the coast in the south. Most are Hindus but there are also many Muslims. Most people speak Balinese and Indonesian and many can speak English.
You can read about Balinese food here http://www.baliguide.com/balifood/index.html
Industry
Tourism is the most important industry in the south. There are textile and clothing factories as well as furniture, handicrafts and souvenir producers. The people also make fine silverware and jewellery.
.................................................................Rice is grown in rice paddies like these.....
On farms these crops are grown: rice, tea, coffee, tobacco, cacao, copra, vanilla, soy beans, chilies, fruit, vegetables.
Fishing and seaweed farming are important industries too.
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Acknowledge this page in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, Ron. & Sydenham, Shirley. Bali [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2009)
July 2009 copyright © kidcyber [2009]