VEGETABLE PRODUCTION AND RESEARCH IN INDONESIA

Indonesia has a population of about 139 000 000 persons (1977 estimate) which makes it the fifth most populous country after China, India, U.S.S.R. and the U.S. It consists of the large islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, West Irian and Sulawesi and over 13 000 smaller islands. The total land area is some 204 million square kilometres which makes it the thirteenth largest country of the world. The country extends from about 95 degrees to 142 degrees Longitude and from Latitude 5 degrees North to 11 degrees South. The islands extend west to east a distance of about 5 152 kilometres. Over 80 000 000 persons live in Java which makes it the most densely populated area in the world. The other islands are less populated.

As Indonesia lies on or near the equator there are no real seasons as in temperate areas. Only the wet and dry seasons are recognised and these vary in duration. In general the western area receives the largest total amount of rainfall and this decreased towards the east. Also the duration of the rainy season is usually longer in the west than in the east; however, there are also many microclimates influenced by mountains.

Daily average temperatures usually vary more than monthly average temperature. Daily temperatures are controlled mainly by altitude. In general the lowlands are always warm and the highlands always rather cool.

Four general climatic situations are recognised:

• Lowlands: Up to about 300 meters
• Highlands: 600 meters and above
• Wet: No distinctive "dry" season (i.e.no month with less than 40 mm of rain).