Larry McCarthy, age 16, of Concord, N.H., for his question:

WHO OWNS BALI?

Bali is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands in the Indian Ocean. The Dutch first visited Bali in 1597, but Dutch rule was not firmly established until 1908. In 1946, after the Japanese occupation of the island during World War II, Bali was included in the newly formed state of East Indonesia, becoming part of the United States of Indonesia in 1948.

In 1950, Bali became part of the Unified Republic of Indonesia.

Bali is about 90 miles long and about 50 miles wide.

Economically and culturally, Bali is one of the most important islands of Indonesia. Rice is grown on irrigated, terraced hillsides. Other crops include sugar cane, coffee, copra, fruits and vegetables. Cattle and hogs are also raised.

The Balinese are skilled artisans, particularly wood carving, and in fashioning objects of tortoise shell and of gold, silver and other metals.

The women of Bali are noted for their beauty and for their skill in weaving cloth of gold and silver threads and in embroidering silk and cotton clothing.