Indonesia

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The Republic of Indonesia, world's largest archipelago, is located between the South East Asian peninsula and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Indonesia borders Malaysia on the island of Borneo (Kalimantan in Bahasa Indonesia), Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea (Irian in Bahasa Indonesia) and East Timor on the island of Timor.

Republik Indonesia

(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Old Javanese: Unity in Diversity)
Official language	Bahasa Indonesia
Capital	Jakarta
President	Megawati Sukarnoputri
Area  - Total:  - % water:	Ranked 15th 1,919,440 km² 4.85%
Population  - Total (2003):  - Density:	Ranked 4th 234,893,453 119/km²
Independence  - Declared:  - Recognised:	From the Netherlands August 17, 1945 December 27, 1949
Currency:	Rupiah
Time zone:	UTC +7 to UTC +9
National anthem:	Indonesia Raya
Internet TLD:	.ID
Calling Code	62

Table of contents

1 History 2 Politics 3 Provinces 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 Further reading 10 External links

History

Main article: History of Indonesia Under influence of Buddhism, several kingdoms formed on the islands of Sumatra and Java from the 7th to 14th century. The arrival of Arab traders later brought Islam, which became the dominant religion.

When the Europeans came in the early 16th century, they found a multitude of small states. These were vulnerable to the Europeans, who were in pursuit of dominating the spice trade. In the 17th century, the Dutch emerged as the most powerful of the Europeans, ousting the British and Portuguese (except for Timor).

After the Dutch East India Company was liquidated, its possessions in Indonesia were taken over by the Dutch government.

In 1940 during World War II, Japan had been denied vital aviation fuel by the Dutch Indies government, unable to negotiate for the fuel Japan begins its invasion of Malaya in December. Capturing Indonesia in 1942, Japan found the Indonesian elite to be cooperative trade partners and willing to marshal troops as needed. Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta, and Kyai were decorated by the Emperor of Japan in 1943.

In March 1945 Japan organized a committee for Indonesian independence; after the Pacific war ended in 1945, this group led by Sukarno declared Indonesian independence. The Dutch finally accepted on December 27th 1949, and Sukarno became the country's first president.

After Sukarno's autocratic rule was almost overthrown, army leader Suharto became president in 1968. Suharto enriched himself through widespread corruption and he was forced to step down after massive demonstrations in 1998.

In the period of 1998 to 2001, the country had four presidents.

The country currently suffers from internal economic, political, and religious struggles, and several regions are striving for independence (Aceh, Irian Jaya).

Politics

Main article: Politics of Indonesia Executive power lies with the President and his/her advisers.

The highest legislative body is the Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat (MPR) or 'People's Consultative Assembly', consisting of the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) or House of Representatives, elected for a five-year term, and the Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD) or Regional Representatives Council. Following elections in 2004, the MPR will become a bicameral parliament, with the creation of the DPD as a new second chamber.

The MPR formerly met ever five years to elect the President. From 2004 the MPR will no longer elect the President and Vice-President. The first popular election for President will be held in June 2004.

Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Indonesia Currently, Indonesia has 30 provinces, 2 special territories and 1 capital city territory. The provinces are subdivided in districts, which are in turn split up in sub-districts and municipalities. The provinces are: Bali, Bangka-Belitung, Banten, Bengkulu, Central Java, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, East Java, East Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, North Sumatra, Gorontalo, Jambi, Lampung, Maluku, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, North Sumatra, Papua (Irian Jaya), Riau, South East Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, West Irian Jaya, West Java, West Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, West Sumatra The special territories (daerah istimewa) are Aceh (or Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam) and Yogyakarta. The capital city territory is Jakarta.

Riau Kepulauan is expected to be soon split off as a separate province from Riau.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Indonesia Indonesia's 17,000 islands (ca. 6,000 are inhabited) are scattered around the equator, giving the country a tropical climate. The largest islands are Java, where about half of the population lives, Sumatra, Borneo (partially Malaysian), Irian Jaya (western half of New Guinea) and Sulawesi.

Its location on the edges of tectonic plates means Indonesia is frequently hit by earthquakes and the resulting tsunamis. Indonesia is also rich in volcanoes, the most famous being the now disappeared Krakatau (Krakatoa).

See also: Map of Asia

Economy

Main article: Economy of Indonesia Indonesia suffered of major economic problems in the late 1990s, but economy has recently stabilised.

The country has extensive natural resources like oil and natural gas, tin, copper and gold. Agriculture mainly produces rice, tea, coffee, spices and rubber.

Indonesia's major trading partners are Japan, the United States and the surrounding nations of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Indonesia The Indonesian population can be roughly divided into two groups. In the west of the country, the people are mostly Malay, while the people of the east are Papuan. However, the ethnic structure is rather diverse, with several traditional tribes still living in the inlands of Borneo and Irian Jaya. The Chinese form a large ethnic minority (2 to 3 million). Although important to Indonesian economy, they are generally disliked by indigenous Indonesians.

Islam is Indonesia's main religion, with almost 87% of the people adhering to it. The remainder of the population is Christian (9%), Buddhist (2%), and Hindu (1%), the latter mainly on the island of Bali. Religious conflicts have been numerous in recent years, especially in the Moluccas.

The official language, Bahasa Indonesia - a dialect of Malay - is spoken by almost everybody, although local dialects are usually the primary language.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Indonesia Art forms in Indonesia have been influenced by several cultures. The famous Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain aspects of Hindu culture and mythology.

Also well-known are the Javanese wayang kulit shadow theatre shows, displaying several mythological events.

In the book Max Havelaar, Dutch author Multatuli criticised the Dutch treatment of the Indonesians, which gained him international attention.

• Music of Indonesia

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Indonesia
• Transportation in Indonesia
• Islands of Indonesia
• Military of Indonesia
• Foreign relations of Indonesia

Further reading

• Theodore Friend, Indonesian Destinies, Harvard University Press, 2003, hardcover, 544 pages, ISBN 0674011376

External links

Note: Indonesian government sites excepting those seeking aid are traditionally in Indonesian, a Malay language of the Austronesian group.

• www.indonesia.go.id - National Portal of Republic of Indonesia (in Indonesian)
• link list of all Government Institutions

• Indonesia House (in Dutch)
• Inside Indonesia (in English)
• US Dept. State travel advice
• Info-RI - National Information Portal (in Indonesian)
• Antara - National News Agency (available both in English and in Indonesian)
• Indonesia News.
• Indonesian Online Community