The National Monument, or "Monas" as it is popularly called, is one of the monuments built during the Sukarno era of fierce nationalism. The top of the National Monument (Monas) is Freedom Square.

It stands for the people's determination to achieve freedom and the crowning of their efforts in the Proclamation of Independence in August 1945. The 137-meter tall marble obelisk is topped with a flame coated with 35 kg of gold. The base houses a historical museum and a hall for meditations. The monument is open to the public and upon request the lift can carry visitors to the top, which offers a bird's eye view on the city and the sea.

Go early to beat the crowds and the haze. It is easy for the less physically able as lifts take visitors to the top. The diorama exhibition in the basement gives such a distorted view of Indonesian history - thanks to the dictator Suharto wanting to brainwash the nation - it's amusing. This imposing obelisk is Jakarta's most famous landmark. Construction started in 1961 under President Soekarno but was not completed until 1975, under President Soeharto. The monument houses a couple of museums. The Freedom Hall depicts Indonesia's struggle for independence through a series of dioramas, whereas the Hall of Contemplation displays the original Declaration of Independence document and a recording of the speech. An elevator takes one to the observation platform, which commands a bird's-eye view of the cityscape.

Population
With over 17,000 islands and a population of more than 200 million, Indonesia in an archipelago with some 2.02 million uare kilometers land area, and various religion groups.  Indonesia is hot and humid throughout the year, but the official wet season started from around October to August, which is marked by the usual heavy and short rainstorms.  

Ethnic groups
There are over 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia. Many ethnic groups, particularly in Kalimantan and Papua, have only hundreds of members. Most of the local languages belong to Austronesian linguistic family, although a significant number, particularly in Papua, speak Papuan languages. According to official estimates, there are nearly 2 million ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. Some estimates, however, put the number of ethnic Chinese at roughly 8 million, claiming a large undercount due to widespread reluctance to self-identify as Chinese. Some of these Indonesians of Chinese descent speak various Chinese dialects, most notably Hokkian and Hakka. The Chinese Indonesian population makes up about 3 % of the total Indonesian population.

The Temperature.
The temperature range is from 21 to 33°C in the lowlands, so might as well loosen’ up those thick jackets and coats.  However in the highlands the temperature is much cooler, but still stays at the lowest of about 15oC.   Indonesians uses Bahasa Indonesia as an official language, but English is frequently used in commerce.  Among other things, traditional language is also used among local people, so if you visit Padang, for instance, they would speak Bahasa Padang, and in Jakarta they also speak Bahasa Betawi.  These languages are unique and also fun to learn.