The island of Bali lies 3.2 km (2 mi) east of
Java, and is approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. Bali and Java are
separated by the Bali Strait. East to west, the island is approximately 153 km
(95 mi) wide and spans approximately 112 km (69 mi) north to south; its land
area is 5,632 km².
Bali's central mountains include several
peaks over 3,000 metres in elevation. The highest is Mount Agung (3,031 m),
known as the "mother mountain" which is an active volcano. Mountains
range from centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak.
Bali's volcanic nature has contributed to its exceptional fertility and its
tall mountain ranges provide the high rainfall that supports the highly
productive agriculture sector. South of the mountains is a broad, steadily
descending area where most of Bali's large rice crop is grown. The northern
side of the mountains slopes more steeply to the sea and is the main coffee
producing area of the island, along with rice, vegetables and cattle. The
longest river, Ayung River, flows approximately 75 km.
The
island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white
sand while those in the north and west have black sand. Bali has no major
waterways, although the Ho River is navigable by small sampan boats. Black sand
beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are being developed for tourism, but
apart from the seaside temple of Tanah Lot, they are not yet used for
significant tourism.
The
largest city is the provincial capital, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Its
population is around 491,500 (2002). Bali's second-largest city is the old
colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to
around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta,
which is practically part of Denpasar's urban area, and Ubud, situated at the
north of Denpasar, is the island's cultural centre.
Three
small islands lie to the immediate south east and all are administratively part
of the Klungkung regency of Bali: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa
Ceningan. These islands are separated from Bali by the Badung Strait.
To the
east, the Lombok Strait separates Bali from Lombok and marks the
biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the
distinctly different fauna of Australasia. The transition is known as the
Wallace Line, named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who first proposed a
transition zone between these two major biomes. When sea levels dropped during
the Pleistocene ice age, Bali was connected to Java and Sumatra and to the
mainland of Asia and shared the Asian fauna, but the deep water of the Lombok
Strait continued to keep Lombok and the Lesser Sunda archipelago isolated
Source :www.baliglory.com
