'Yellow window' to knowledge opens in Indonesia

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A window has been opened through which people can look at the beauty and uniqueness of Indonesia's diverse nature.

The window is National Geographic Indonesia, the Indonesian- language version of the famous National Geographic magazine, which was launched here on Monday.

Terrence B. Adamson of the Board of Executive Vice Presidents of the U.S.-based National Geographic Society said the trademark yellow border on the cover of the magazine represents a window to the world.

"It is a window to find new places and to tell readers around the globe about the world, its culture, its science and its nature," he said at the launch.

With National Geographic Indonesia, National Geographic magazine is now printed in 27 different languages every month.

The Indonesian edition is the fifth in Asia after Mandarin in classical Chinese scrip, Japanese, Korean and Thai.

The local version will follow closely the editorial content of the English-language original, and will include local content in every issue. National Geographic Indonesia will also be produced to the exacting standards of the National Geographic Society -- and of course, will appear with the famous yellow-border cover that is familiar throughout the world.

National Geographic is being brought to the Indonesian readership by Jakob Oetama's Kompas-Gramedia publishing group, and Tantyo Bangun, a veteran freelance photographer, is its editor-in-chief.

Jakob emphasized that the credibility and the long history of the magazine had made the launch ceremony different from that of other publications.

The main feature in the first edition of National Geographic Indonesia is the discovery of "Flores man" -- a species of homo sapien. A report on the condition in Suwak Indrapuri, Meulaboh, Aceh, six days after the catastrophic tsunami is also published in this edition, accompanied by a breakdown on how an earthquake creates a tsunami.

Jakob hopes the publication of National Geographic Indonesia would promote an effort to reinvent Indonesia.

He said he hoped the magazine would help the Indonesian people become more aware of their homeland and its rich biodiversity across more than 17,000 islands -- about 8,000 of which are uninhabited -- and learn more about its flora and fauna, ancient heritage and spirit of social harmony.

"An effort to reinvent Indonesia would be an impossible aim without including its social and cultural aspects," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who autographed the front cover of the first National Geographic Indonesia and symbolically launched the magazine, hoped the magazine could contribute knowledge and scientific information toward improving national education.

"It will be invaluable for us to understand our geography. Through the geologic sciences, we can anticipate earthquakes, tsunamis and droughts. The more we understand geography, the more we will understand the secret of nature," he said, and gave his full support to developing the magazine in the country.

National Geographic magazine was first published in 1888 as an internal magazine of the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. The magazine became available to the public because of great demand, and is the world's longest-standing magazine.

National Geographic is also known for pioneering the use of photographs to illustrate magazine articles.

As part of the launch, National Geographic Indonesia has organized a photo exhibition that will run from March 29 through April 3 at the National Archive building on Jl. Gajah Mada No. 111, Central Jakarta.

Chairman of the Indonesian Archeologists Association (IAI) Truman Simanjuntak was enthusiastic about the launch of the publication in Bahasa Indonesia.

"It will enrich the source of information for Indonesian scholars and for Indonesian society as a whole," he told The Jakarta Post.