Major Islands And Archipelagos Codexery

Bali

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Bali is an Indonesian island and province that lies east of Java and west of Lombok, forming the westernmost part of the Lesser Sunda Islands.[1] Bali stands as Indonesia's sole province where Hinduism is the majority religion, with Balinese Hinduism practiced by 86.40% of its inhabitants.[2]

Geography and history

Bali lies 3.2 km east of Java, approximately 8 degrees south of the equator, and is separated from Java by the Bali Strait.[3] The island is about 153 km wide east to west and 112 km north to south, covering 5,590.15 km² administratively.[3] Its central mountains include active volcanoes such as Mount Batur, with the highest peak being Mount Agung at 3031 m.[4] The name Bali is attested in ancient inscriptions as part of the compound Vāli-dvīpa, with one early attestation on the Belanjong pillar inscription dated to Saka year 835.[5]

Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II, landing near Sanur on 19 February 1942.[6] Bali became a province in 1958 when President Sukarno appointed Anak Agung Bagus Suteja as its first governor.[7] Austronesian peoples, who originally came from Taiwan and traveled through Maritime Southeast Asia, first settled Bali around 2000 BC.[8] A Portuguese expedition under Antonio Abreu and Francisco Serrão is recorded as the first European group to see Bali, spotting its northern coastline in 1512.[9]

The Dutch started establishing political and economic dominance over Bali during the 1840s, beginning on the north coast, and later conducted significant naval and ground attacks at Sanur in 1906.[10][11] Mount Agung's eruption in 1963 resulted in thousands of deaths and caused economic devastation, leading to the transmigration of many displaced Balinese to other regions of Indonesia.[10]

What the cited sources add

A 2021 article from Coconuts Bali reports that Tripadvisor placed Bali at the top of its 2021 list of World’s Most Popular Destinations, with London and Dubai in second and third spots.[12] A 2026 Travel Market Report article states that Tripadvisor named Bali the No. 1 Top Destination in the World for 2026, describing it as a living postcard admired for its lush landscapes and white sand beaches.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Denpasar Indonesia", Encyclopædia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ArcGIS Web Application" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Kabupaten Klungkung, Data Agregat per Kecamatan", Sp2010.bps.go.id, 2010 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Romantic Paradise Destination – The New Decade Volcano Program #6, Bali", 10 July 2015; "Mount Agung: Bali volcano alert raised to highest level", BBC News, 27 November 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Damais, "Études balinaises: I. La colonnette de Sanur (Belanjong Pillar)", 1947, p. 127–130 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Klemen, L, "The Capture of Bali Island, February 1942", Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942, 1999–2000 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barski, p. 51; Pringle, p. 167 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Taylor, pp. 5, 7; "Bali", Periplus Editions, 1995, p. 24–25; "Bali", Periplus Editions, 1995, p. 24–25; Taylor, p. 12; Greenway, "Bali and Lombok", Lonely Planet, 1999, p. 15 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cortesão, "Esparsos, Volume III", Universidade de Coimbra Biblioteca Geral, 1975, p. 288; Hanna, Willard A. (2004) Bali Chronicles. Periplus, Singapore, , p. 32 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bali", Periplus Editions, 1995, p. 26–35 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Bali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bali", Periplus Editions, 1995, p. 26–35; Haer, p. 38. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. "Bali named most popular destination on Tripadvisor's 2021 Travelers' Choice Awards", Coconuts Bali, 28 January 2021. facts only, no text reused. coconuts.co
  13. "Bali High: TripAdvisor Names 'Best of the Best' Destinations for 2026", Travel Market Report, 15 January 2026. facts only, no text reused. travelmarketreport.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Bali (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Denpasar, Dutch East Indies

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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