Bali Tour Operator

ABOUT BALI 

Bali is a small Island, Midway along the string of islands with make up the Indonesian archipelago. It’s adjacent to Java, the most heavily populated island, and immediately west o the chain of smaller islands comprising Nusa Tengggara. Bali has an area of 5620 sq km, measuring approximately 140 km by 80 km.
South and north of the central mountains are Bali’s agricultural lands.  The southern region is a wide, gently sloping area where most of Bali’s abundant rice crop is grown. This south – central region is the island’s true rice basket. The northern coastal strip is narrower, rising rapidly in to the foothills of the central range. It receives less rain, but coffee, copra and rice are grown here, and cattle are also raised.
Bali also has same arid and lightly populated regions. These include the western mountain region and its northern slopes down to the sea – an area virtually unpopulated and reputed to be the last home of the Balinese tiger. The eastern and northern slopes of Gunung Agung are also dry, as are the Bukit peninsula and Nusa Penida Islands, which cannot intensive wet-rice agriculture.

CLIMATE
Just 8° south of the equator, Bali has a tropical climate which is hot all year. The average temperature hovers around 30°c (mid-80°sF) year-round, but the humidity can make the heat feel very oppressive. Direct sun feels incredibly hot, especially in the middle of the day, there are dry and wet season – dry starting from April to September and wet from October to March but it can rain at any time and even during the wet season rain is likely to pass quickly.

POPULATION
Bali is a densely populated island, with an estimated 2.9 million people in 1995-about 520 people per Sq km. The population is almost all Indonesia; 95% are Balinese Hindu religion and could be described as ethnic Balinese. Most of the other residents are from other parts of Indonesia particularly Java, but also Sumatra and Nusa Tenggara; the tourist industry is a magnet for people seeking jobs and business opportunities. Quite a few Balinese have move to more lightly populated islands as part of the transmigrasi (transmigration) programmed.

CASTE System
The caste system drives from Hindu tradition on Java dating back to about 1350, although it is not nearly as strict as the system in India. On Bali, caste determines roles in religious rituals and the form of language to be used in every social sitiation. Despite the persistence of honorific titles, the practical importance of one’s caste is diminishing, as status becomes more matter of education, economic success and community influence. The importance of caste differences in language is mitigated by the use of “polite” forms of Balinese language or by using the national Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia), itself a sign of some status. In a traditional village, however, caste is still very much a part of life, and caste concepts are still absolutely essential to religious practice. About 90% of Bali’s ethnic population belongs to the common Sudra (also known as wong kesamen) caste, and the rest belong to the Triwangsa caste (which means three people), also known as wong menak. The triwangasa divided into three sub-castes, listed in order of importance:
Brahma is highest priest, with title of Ida Bagus (Male) and Ida Ayu (Female), Kesatria or stariana are merchants, with titles of Cokorda and Anak Agung, Wesia or Gusti are the main caste of the nobility, with the title of Gusti Ngurah or Dewa Gede (Male) and Gusti Ayu or Dewa Ayu (femail)