Ethnic groups in Indonesia

Uncommon card · No. 123522

There are more than 600 ethnic groups in the multiethnic Indonesian archipelago, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world. The vast majority of these belong the Austronesian peoples, whose ancestors migrated from Taiwan. They are primarily concentrated in western and central Indonesia. A significant minority are Melanesian peoples, descendants of some of the earliest modern humans to inhabit Southeast Asia, mostly found in eastern Indonesia. Some linguistic and genetic evidence suggests a pre-Austronesian population of Austroasiatic speakers in western Indonesia. Genetic studies show that ethnic groups in Java, Bali, and Lombok have significant traces of Austroasiatic ancestry, even though Austroasiatic languages have long been replaced by Austronesian languages in the region. Based on ethnic classification, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese, who make up about 40% of the total population. The Javanese are concentrated on the island of Java, the world...

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