World · Field notes

Indonesia

Three details to notice, with the sources behind each story.

culture

The rice terraces depend on neighbours sharing water

On Bali, Indonesia, rice fields step down the hills in terraces. Farmers share irrigation water through a cooperative system called subak, with water temples at its centre. The beautiful fields depend on people working together to manage the canals and water supply.

Source: UNESCO: Bali’s subak landscape · Accessed 2026-10-06

Rice terraces stepping down green hills at Jatiluwih. — Rice terraces at Jatiluwih, Bali, Indonesia.
Imacim / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; no cropping. · CC BY-SA 4.0

nature

A fresh bed high in the trees

Orangutans live in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo, including parts of Indonesia. These great apes build sleeping nests above the ground in trees, usually making a fresh one each night. The nest is a bed for an ape: orangutans also sometimes make simpler nests for daytime naps.

Source: Smithsonian National Zoo: Orangutan sleep habits · Accessed 2026-10-06

An orangutan among the branches of a forest tree. — A young Sumatran orangutan in Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia.
Arifinal0109 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; no cropping. · CC BY-SA 4.0

history

A sailing tradition passed between boatbuilders

In South Sulawesi, Indonesia, wooden sailing vessels carry a distinctive arrangement of masts, sails and ropes called pinisi. Building and sailing them draws on knowledge passed between generations of craftspeople. The tradition connects coastal communities with the skills needed to travel between islands.

Source: UNESCO: Pinisi boatbuilding inscription · Accessed 2026-10-06

A wooden tourist vessel with two masts and its sails furled near Labuan Bajo. — A contemporary phinisi tourist vessel near Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.
Yasuspade / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; no cropping. · CC BY-SA 4.0