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, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing financial sector reforms, stemming corruption, and holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations. 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. Reconstruction in these areas may take up to a decade. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, but it continues to face a low intensity separatist guerilla movement in Papua.

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean

5 00 S, 120 00 E

total: 1,919,440 sq km
land: 1,826,440 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km

total: 2,830 km
border countries: East Timor 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km

54,716 km

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m

petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

arable land: 11.03%
permanent crops: 7.04%
other: 81.93% (2005)

45,000 sq km (2003)

occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires

deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

245,452,739 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 28.8% (male 35,995,919/female 34,749,582)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 80,796,794/female 80,754,238)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 5,737,473/female 7,418,733) (2006 est.)

total: 26.8 years
male: 26.4 years
female: 27.3 years (2006 est.)

1.41% (2006 est.)

20.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 34.39 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 39.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 69.87 years
male: 67.42 years
female: 72.45 years (2006 est.)

2.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.1% (2003 est.)

110,000 (2003 est.)

2,400 (2003 est.)

degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and chikungunya are high risks in some locations
note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US citizens who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005)

noun: Indonesian(s)
adjective: Indonesian

Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%

Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)

Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.9%
male: 92.5%
female: 83.4% (2002 est.)

conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia
conventional short form: Indonesia
local long form: Republik Indonesia
local short form: Indonesia
former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies

republic

Jakarta

30 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Irian Jaya Barat, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Barat, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta*
note: following the implementation of decentralization beginning on 1 January 2001, the 440 districts or regencies have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services

17 August 1945 (independence proclaimed); 27 December 1949 (Netherlands recognizes Indonesian independence)

Independence Day, 17 August (1945)

August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of amendments concluded in 2002

based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age

House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) (550 seats; members elected to serve five-year terms); House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input to DPR on issues affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and impeaching president and in amending constitution; consists of popularly-elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate national policy
elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P 18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN 53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50
note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not always follow the percentage of votes received by parties

Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the president from a list of candidates approved by the legislature); a separate Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi was invested by the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Labor Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in January 2006

Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has struggled to overcome the Asian financial crisis, and still grapples with high unemployment, a fragile banking sector, endemic corruption, inadequate infrastructure, a poor investment climate, and unequal resource distribution among regions. Indonesia became a net oil importer in 2004 because of declining production and lack of new exploration investment. The cost of subsidizing domestic fuel placed increasing strain on the budget in 2005, and combined with indecisive monetary policy, contributed to a run on the currency in August, prompting the government to enact a 126% average fuel price hike in October. The resulting inflation and interest rate hikes will dampen growth prospects in 2006. Keys to future growth remain internal reform, building up the confidence of international and domestic investors, and strong global economic growth. In late December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami took 131,000 lives with another 37,000 missing, left some 570,000 displaced persons, and caused an estimated $4.5 billion in damages and losses. Terrorist incidents in 2005 have slowed tourist arrivals. Indonesia experienced several human cases of avian influenza in late 2005, sparking concerns of a pandemic.

$901.7 billion (2005 est.)

$270 billion (2005 est.)

5.4% (2005 est.)

$3,700 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 14.7%
industry: 30.6%
services: 54.6% (2005 est.)

94.2 million (2005 est.)

agriculture: 46.5%
industry: 11.8%
services: 41.7% (1999 est.)

10.9% (2005 est.)

16.7% (2004)

lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)

34.3 (2002)

10.4% (2005 est.)

21.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $54.3 billion
expenditures: $57.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

52.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs

petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism

2.1% (2005 est.)

120.2 billion kWh (2004)

105.4 billion kWh (2004)

1.061 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

1.084 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

431,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

345,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

4.6 billion bbl (2005 est.)

83.4 billion cu m (2005 est.)

22.5 billion cu m (2005 est.)

37.5 billion cu m (2005 est.)

2.557 trillion cu m (2005)

$2.3 billion (2005 est.)

$83.64 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber

Japan 22.3%, US 12.3%, Singapore 8.4%, South Korea 6.8%, China 6.4%, Malaysia 4.2% (2004)

$62.02 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs

Singapore 13.1%, Japan 13.1%, China 8.8%, US 7%, Thailand 6%, Australia 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.2%, South Korea 4.2% (2004)

$34.7 billion (2005 est.)

$131 billion (2005 est.)

$43 billion
note: Indonesia finished its IMF program in December 2003 but still receives bilateral aid through the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), which pledged $2.8 billion in grants and loans for 2004 and again in 2005; nearly $5 billion in aid money pledged by a variety bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental organization (NGO) donors following the 2004 tsunami; money is slated for use in relief and rebuilding efforts in Aceh (2005 est.)

Indonesian rupiah (IDR)

calendar year; note - previously was 1 April - 31 March, but starting with 2001, has been changed to calendar year

9.99 million (2004)

30 million (2004)

general assessment: domestic service fair, international service good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net; domestic satellite communications system
international: country code - 62; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)

AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998)

4 local TV stations
note: 11 national TV networks; each with their own group of local, often low power, transmitters (2006)

.id

134,735 (2005)

18 million (2005)

668 (2005)

total: 161
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 48
914 to 1,523 m: 51
under 914 m: 43 (2005)

total: 507
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 26
under 914 m: 475 (2005)

23 (2005)

condensate 850 km; condensate/gas 128 km; gas 8,506 km; oil 7,472 km; oil/gas/water 66 km; refined products 1,329 km (2004)

total: 6,458 km
narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (2004)

total: 368,360 km
paved: 213,649 km
unpaved: 154,711 km (2002)

21,579 km (2005)

total: 750 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,431,605 GRT/4,598,038 DWT
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 38, cargo 422, chemical tanker 18, container 41, liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 1, passenger 40, passenger/cargo 37, petroleum tanker 126, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 13, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 2
foreign-owned: 25 (France 1, Japan 4, South Korea 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 14, Switzerland 2, UK 2)
registered in other countries: 117 (The Bahamas 2, Belize 2, Bermuda 1, Cambodia 1, Denmark 1, Georgia 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 3, Liberia 1, Malta 1, Panama 50, Singapore 49, Thailand 1, unknown 3) (2005)

Banjarmasin, Belawan, Ciwandan, Krueg Geukueh, Palembang, Panjang, Sungai Pakning, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Priok

Indonesia Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL, includes Marines, naval air arm), Air Force (TNI-AU)
note: The TNI is directly subordinate to the president but the government is making efforts to incorporate it into the Department of Defense

East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit land boundary, but several sections of the boundary remain unresolved; many East Timorese refugees who left in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

IDPs: 570,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004 tsunami) 500,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi Provinces); (2005)

illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; producer of methamphetamine and ecstasy