Bali is the western island in the chain that makes up the Lesser Sundas Group. It covers 5,600sq km (2,021sq miles), which makes it one of the smallest provinces of the Indonesian archipelago, the largest in the world. Indonesia's 13,677 islands stretch from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, lying on both sides of the Equator between the Malay Peninsula and New Guinea. Lying 8 degrees south of the Equator and 115 degrees east Greenwich, Bali is separated to the west from neighboring Java by a narrow strip of sea. The strait of Lombok, which divides Bali from the island of Lombok to the east, is not only considerably wider (30km/19 miles) but also much deeper. Despite its size, Bali offers an astonishing variety of landscapes. The southern part of the island, the most fertile region, is characterized by luxuriant tropical vegetation. In the center lie the misty cloud-covered highlands.The emerald green rice terraces found in the south-central region are irrigated by the waters from mountain lakes and rivers. The Bukit Badung peninsula in the extreme south, on the other hand, is very arid. The northern beaches are formed out of black lava while the west is largely covered with impenetrable jungle.

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