Scholars believe that the early Malays began coming to island about 4,500 years ago. Indonesia also has some Arabs, Chinese, Papuans, and others people. Language More than 250 Malay-Polynesian and Papuan languages are spoken by different groups in Indonesia. Bahasa Indonesia is the country's national language.
Children learn of their region at home before entering school.
They learn Bahasa Indonesia in school. Indonesia adopted the national language early during its movement for the independence from the Dutch. Bahasa Indonesia was developed from the Malay language spoken in the western part of the island of Sumatra. It is similar to Coastal Malay, which was the common language of trade in the port area of Indonesia. Bahasa Indonesia became the language of instruction in the school and universities, and today most Indonesian speak it.