Indonesia

National name: Republik Indonesia

Government
Republic.

Geography
Indonesia is an archipelago in Southeast Asia consisting of 17,000 islands (6,000 inhabited) and straddling the equator. The largest islands are Sumatra, Java (the most populous), Bali, Kalimantan (Indonesia’s part of Borneo), Sulawesi (Celebes), the Nusa Tenggara islands, the Moluccas Islands, and Irian Jaya (also called West Papua), the western part of New Guinea. Indonesia, part of the “ring of fire,” has the largest number of active volcanoes in the world. Earthquakes are frequent. Wallace’s line, a zoological demarcation between Asian and Australian flora and fauna, divides Indonesia.

Historical Background
The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the December 2004 tsunami, which particularly affected Aceh province causing over 100,000 deaths and over $4 billion in damage. An additional earthquake in March 2005 created heavy destruction on the island of Nias. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh. In January 27, 2008, Suharto died.

Facts & Figures

Name

Indonesia

Capital

Jakarta

Government

Unitary presidential republic

Language

Indonesian

Area

1,919,440 km2

Population

238,000,000

Currency

Rupiah (IDR)