Bali: Map & History
Bali is an Indonesian island and province and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands.
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Bali is an Indonesian island and province and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller offshore islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan to the southeast. The provincial capital, Denpasar, is the most populous city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second-largest, after Makassar, in Eastern Indonesia. The Denpasar metropolitan area is the extended metropolitan area around Denpasar. The upland town of Ubud in Greater Denpasar is considered as Bali's cultural centre. The province is Indonesia's main tourist destination, with a significant rise in tourism since the 1980s, and has become the country's area of overtourism. Tourism-related business makes up 80% of the Bali economy.
Modern Countries Once Part of Bali
At its mapped extent, Bali covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Bali's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Bali in Depth
History
Bali was inhabited around 2000 BC by Austronesian peoples who migrated originally from the island of Taiwan to Southeast Asia and Oceania through Maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are closely related to the people of the Indonesian archipelago, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Oceania. Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.
In ancient Bali, nine Hindu sects existed: the Pasupata, Bhairawa, Siwa Shidanta, Vaishnava, Bodha, Brahma, Resi, Sora, and Ganapatya. Each sect revered a specific deity as its personal Godhead.
Inscriptions from 896 and 911 do not mention a king until 914, when Sri Kesarivarma, a contemporary of the Kesari dynasty in the Kalinga Kingdom of ancient India, is mentioned.
Government and politics
The governor is the highest officeholder in the Bali provincial government with the vice governor being the second highest officeholder. The Governor of Bali is responsible for the territory of the Province of Bali. The current governor in office in the province of Bali is I Wayan Koster who was first being elected in the 2018 Bali gubernatorial election accompanied by his first running mate at that time Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati (Cok Ace). Koster is the 8th governor of Bali, since the province was formed into the province of Bali in 1958 based on Law Number 64 of 1958. Koster and Cok Ace were inaugurated by the president of the Republic of Indonesia at that time Joko Widodo, at the State Palace, Jakarta on September 5, 2018, for the five years term of office (2018–2023).
Economy
In the 1970s, the Balinese economy was largely agriculture-based in terms of both output and employment. Tourism is now the largest single industry in terms of income, and as a result, Bali is one of Indonesia's wealthiest regions. In 2003, around 80% of Bali's economy was tourism related. By the end of June 2011, the rate of non-performing loans of all banks in Bali were 2.23%, lower than the average of Indonesian banking industry non-performing loan rates (about 5%). The economy, however, suffered significantly as a result of the terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005. The tourism industry has since recovered from these events.
Although tourism produces the GDP's largest output, agriculture is still the island's biggest employer. Fishing also provides a significant number of jobs.
Culture
Bali is renowned for its diverse and sophisticated art forms, such as painting, sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, and performing arts. Balinese cuisine is also distinctive, and unlike the rest of Indonesia, pork is commonly found in Balinese dishes such as Babi Guling. Balinese percussion orchestra music, known as gamelan, is highly developed and varied.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Bali (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bali: Key Facts
| Capitals | Denpasar, Singaraja |
|---|---|
| Official language | Indonesian |
| Founded | 14 August 1958 |
Facts from Wikidata Q3125978 (CC0).
Bali Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Bali appears, with the other states of the time.
Bali Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 7,719 km² in 1768 CE.
Bali: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Bali exist?
Bali is dated to 1687 CE – 1907 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of Bali?
The capital of Bali was Denpasar.
How large was Bali at its peak?
At its peak in 1768 Bali covered about 7,719 km².
How did the map of Bali change over time?
Bali appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1700 CE to 1900 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad