Bali lies between Java and Lombok Island. Denpasar is the capital of his province, located in the south of the island. The majority of Balinese are Hindu. In the world famous Bali as a tourist destination with a unique variety of art-culture, especially for the Japanese and Australian tourists. Bali is also known as Island of the Gods and thousand temples of Island.
Bali Island is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands along the 153 km and 112 km wide approximately 3.2 km from the island of Java. Astronomically, Bali is located at 8 ° 25'23 "south latitude and 115 ° 14'55" East Longitude tropical climate that makes it like other parts of Indonesia.
Gunung Agung is the highest point in Bali as high as 3148 m. The volcano last erupted in March 1963. Mount Batur is also one of the mountain in Bali. About 30,000 years ago, Mount Batur erupted and produced a terrible disaster on earth. Unlike in the north, the southern part of Bali is irrigated lowland rivers.Based on the relief and topography, in the middle of the island of Bali lies mountains stretching from west to east between the mountains and there are clusters of Mount Batur volcano and Mount Agung and the mountains are not volcanoes, namely Merbuk Mountain, Mount Gunung Patas and Seraya. The existence of these mountains cause by Geographic Area Bali is divided into 2 (two) parts that are not the same, namely North Bali with a narrow lowland and less sloping and the South of Bali with a broad lowland and sloping. Bali slope consists of flat land (0-2%) area of 122,652 ha, undulating land (2-15%), covering an area of 118,339 ha, steep land (15-40%) and land area of 190,486 ha of very steep (> 40%) an area of 132,189 ha. Province of Bali has 4 (four) lakes located in mountainous areas, namely Danau Beratan, Buyan, Tamblingan and Lake Batur.
The capital of Bali is Denpasar. Other important places are as central seniKuta Ubud, Sanur, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua are some places that a tourist destination, both tourist and beach resorts. located in Gianyar regency, while total area of Bali Province is 5636.66 km2 or 0.29% of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. Administratively, Bali province consists of 9 districts / cities, 55 districts and 701 villages.
The first inhabitants of the island of Bali is expected to come in 3000-2500 BCE who migrated from Asia. Age artefacts from the stone tools were found in the village Cekik located in the western part pulau.prasejarah then ended with the arrival of Hinduism and Sanskrit writings from India in 100 BC.
Culture of Bali later gained strong influence of Indian culture that the process is more rapid after the 1st century AD. Name Balidwipa (island of Bali) began to be found in various inscriptions, including inscriptions Blanjong issued by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 913 AD and mentions the word Walidwipa. It is estimated that around this time that Subak irrigation system for rice cultivation began to be developed. Some religious and cultural traditions also began to develop at that time. Kingdom of Majapahit (1293-1500 AD) who are Hindus and centered on the island of Java, had established the kingdom of subordinates in Bali around the year 1343 AD At that time most of the archipelago are Hindus, but as the advent of Islam stood Islamic empires in the archipelago, among others, cause the collapse of Majapahit. Many nobles, priests, artists and other Hindu community when it withdrew from the island of Java to Bali.
Europeans who first discovered Bali was Cornelis de Houtman in 1597 from the Dutch, although a Portuguese vessel had previously been stranded at Cape Mount, Jimbaran, in 1585. Dutch East India Company began to implement through the soil colonial Bali, but continue to get resistance, so until the end of the power of their position in Bali is not as solid as their position in the Java or the Moluccas. Starting from the northern region of Bali, since the 1840s the Netherlands has become a permanent presence which was originally done by pit the various rulers of Bali that mutual distrust each other. Dutch major attack by the sea and land against the Sanur region and followed by the Denpasar area. Bali party who loses in number and weaponry do not want to experience shame to give up, thus causing the war to the death or bellows which involves all the people both men and women including the king. An estimated 4,000 people were killed in the incident, although Holland had ordered them to surrender. Furthermore, the Dutch governors who ruled only a few gave its influence on the island, so that local control of religion and culture generally remained unchanged.Japan occupied Bali during World War II and then a military officer named I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali forming forces 'freedom fighters'. Following the surrender of Japan in the Pacific in August 1945, the Dutch promptly returned to Indonesia (including Bali) to re-establish its colonial rule as a state before the war. This was opposed by the forces of resistance Bali who was using Japanese weapons.
On 20 November 1940, Break Puputan Margarana battle that occurred in the village of Marga, Tabanan, Bali middle. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai 29-year-old, led his troops from the territory east of Bali to take the offensive to death on the Dutch troops are armed to the teeth. All battalion members Bali killed them all and make it as the last Balinese military resistance.In 1946 the Dutch made Bali as one of 13 areas part of the new State of East Indonesia was proclaimed, namely as one of the rivals for the Republic of Indonesia which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali then also incorporated into the United States of Indonesia when the Dutch recognized the independence of Indonesia on December 29, 1949. Year 1950 Bali officially leave perserikatannya with the Dutch and legally became a province of the Republic of Indonesia.
The eruption of Mount Agung in 1963, could destabilize the economy of the people and causes many Balinese people transmigrated to other areas in Indonesia.
In 1965, along with the failure by the G30S coup against the national government in Jakarta, in Bali and many other areas there was a crackdown against members and sympathizers of the Communist Party of Indonesia. At Bali, estimated at more than 100,000 people were killed or missing. Nevertheless, the events in the early days of New Order is up to now has not managed to be disclosed by law.Terrorist attacks have occurred on October 12, 2002, in the form of the 2002 Bali bomb attacks in Kuta Beach tourist area, causing as many as 202 people were killed and 209 wounded. Bomb attacks in Bali 2005 also occurred three years later in Kuta and Jimbaran beach. Such events received extensive international coverage because most of the victims were foreign tourists and cause the Bali tourism industry faces severe challenges in recent years.
