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, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, and controlling avian influenza. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to democratic elections in December 2006. Indonesia 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
Southeast Asia
total: 1,919,440 sq km ; land: 1,826,440 sq km ; water: 93,000 sq km
slightly less than three times the size of Texas
total: 2,830 km ; border countries: Timor-Leste 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)
2,838 cu km (1999)
Total: 82.78 cu km/yr (8%/1%/91%) ; Per capita: 372 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean
234,693,997 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 28.7% (male 34,309,176/female 33,148,341) ; 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 77,132,708/female 76,731,481) ; 65 years and over: 5.7% (male 5,956,471/female 7,415,820) (2007 est.)
total: 26.9 years ; male: 26.4 years ; female: 27.4 years (2007 est.)
1.213% (2007 est.)
19.65 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
-1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.035 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.005 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.803 male(s)/female ; total population: 1.001 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 32.14 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 37.39 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 26.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 70.16 years ; male: 67.69 years ; female: 72.76 years (2007 est.)
2.38 children born/woman (2007 est.)
0.1% (2003 est.)
110,000 (2003 est.)
2,400 (2003 est.)
noun: Indonesian(s) ; adjective: Indonesian
Javanese 40.6%, Sundanese 15%, Madurese 3.3%, Minangkabau 2.7%, Betawi 2.4%, Bugis 2.4%, Banten 2%, Banjar 1.7%, other or unspecified 29.9% (2000 census)
Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census)
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: 90.4% ; male: 94% ; female: 86.8% (2004 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: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)

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
name: Jakarta ; geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 49 E ; time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ; note: Indonesia is divided into three time zones
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 (declared) ; note: recognized by the Netherlands on 27 December 1949; in August 2005, the Netherlands announced it recognized de facto Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945
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
chief of state: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004); Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government ; head of government: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004); Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004) ; cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president ; elections: president and vice president were elected for five-year terms (eligible for a second term) by direct vote of the citizenry; last held 20 September 2004 (next to be held in 2009) ; election results: Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president receiving 60.6% of vote; MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri received 39.4%
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 selected 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
Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [MS KABAN]; Democratic Party or PD [Hadi UTOMO]; Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf KALLA]; Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri]; National Awakening Party or PKB [MUHAIMIN Iskander]; National Mandate Party or PAN [Sutrisno BACHIR]; Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [Tifatul SEMBIRING]; United Development Party or PPP [Suryadharma ALI]
NA
APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of Poland, which is white (top) and red
chief of mission: Ambassador SUDJADNAN Parnohadiningrat ; chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 ; telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200 ; FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365 ; consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron R. HUME ; embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 4-5, Jakarta 10110 ; mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520 ; telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000 ; FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922 ; consulate(s) general: Surabaya





Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, struggles with persistent poverty and unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, pervasive corruption, a fragile banking sector, a poor investment climate, and unequal resource distribution among regions. Declining oil production and lack of new exploration investment turned Indonesia into a net oil importer in 2004. The cost of subsidizing domestic fuel strained the budget in 2005, ultimately prompting the government to enact a 126% average fuel price hike in October. The resulting inflation and interest rate hikes dampened growth through mid-2006, while large increases in rice prices pushed millions more people under the national poverty line. The economy accelerated throughout 2007, but keys to sustained future growth remain internal reform and building up the confidence of international and domestic investors. The high global price of oil in 2007 increased the cost of domesic fuel and electricity subsidies, which consume a significant share of government spending. Significant progress has been made in rebuilding Aceh after the devastating December 2004 tsunami, and the province now shows more economic activity than before the disaster. Unfortunately, Indonesia suffered new disasters in 2006 and early 2007 including: a major earthquake near Yogyakarta, an industrial accident in Sidoarjo, East Java that created a "mud volcano," a tsunami in South Java, and major flooding in Jakarta, all of which caused additional damages in the billions of dollars. Donors are assisting Indonesia with its disaster mitigation and early warning efforts.
$845.6 billion (2007 est.)
$287.4 billion (2007 est.)
6.1% (2007 est.)
$3,400 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 12.4% ; industry: 47.7% ; services: 39.9% (2007 est.)
108 million (2007 est.)
agriculture: 43.3% ; industry: 18% ; services: 38.7% (2004 est.)
9.7% (2007 est.)
17.8% (2006)
lowest 10%: 3.6% ; highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)
36.3 (2005)
6.3% (2007 est.)
23.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $88.21 billion ; expenditures: $95.41 billion (2007 est.)
35.4% of GDP (2007 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
6.1% (2007 est.)
125.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)
fossil fuel: 86.9% ; hydro: 10.5% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 2.6% (2001)
108 billion kWh (2006 est.)
0 kWh (2006 est.)
0 kWh (2006 est.)
1.07 million bbl/day (2006 est.)
1.1 million bbl/day (2006 est.)
470,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
500,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
4.301 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
74 billion cu m (2006 est.)
37.5 billion cu m (2006 est.)
29.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)
0 cu m (2006)
2.63 trillion cu m (1 January 2007 est.)
$10.21 billion (2007 est.)
$118.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber
Japan 19.4%, Singapore 11.8%, US 11.5%, China 7.7%, South Korea 6.4%, Taiwan 4.2% (2006)
$86.24 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Singapore 29.6%, China 11.2%, Japan 8.8%, South Korea 5.3%, Malaysia 4.8% (2006)

$53.27 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$137.2 billion (30 June 2007)
$21.91 billion (2006 est.)
$9.225 billion (2006 est.)
$138.9 billion (2006)
Indonesian rupiah (IDR)
IDR
Indonesian rupiah per US dollar - 9,056 (2007 est.), 9,159.3 (2006), 9,704.7 (2005), 8,938.9 (2004), 8,577.1 (2003)
calendar year
ODA, $2.524 billion (2006 est.) ; note: Indonesia ended 2006 with $67 billion in official foreign debt (about 25% of GDP), with Japan ($25 billion), the World Bank ($8.5 billion) and the Asian Development Bank ($8.4 billion) as the largest creditors; about $6 billion in grant assistance was pledged to rebuild Aceh after the December 2004 tsunami; President YUDHOYONO disbanded the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) donor forum in January 2007 (2005)
14.821 million (2006)
63.803 million (2006)
general assessment: domestic service fair, international service good ; domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net; domestic satellite communications system; coverage provided by existing network has been expanded by use of over 200,000 telephone kiosks many located in remote areas ; international: country code - 62; landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 AND SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks that provide links throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998)
31.5 million (1997)
54 local TV stations (11 national TV networks; each with their own group of local transmitters) (2006)
13.75 million (1997)
.id
559,359 (2007)
24 (2000)
16 million (2005)

652 (2007)
total: 158 ; over 3,047 m: 4 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 49 ; under 914 m: 39 (2007)
total: 494 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 27 ; under 914 m: 462 (2007)
17 (2007)
condensate 944 km; condensate/gas 135 km; gas 9,175 km; oil 7,684 km; oil/gas/water 89 km; refined products 1,367 km (2006)
total: 6,458 km ; narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)
total: 368,360 km ; paved: 213,649 km ; unpaved: 154,711 km (2002)
21,579 km (2007)
total: 965 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,409,198 GRT/5,825,591 DWT ; by type: bulk carrier 53, cargo 522, chemical tanker 25, container 66, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 44, passenger/cargo 67, petroleum tanker 155, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 11, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 4 ; foreign-owned: 45 (China 2, France 1, Japan 5, South Korea 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 26, Switzerland 3, Taiwan 2, Thailand 1, UK 3) ; registered in other countries: 105 (Bahamas 3, Cambodia 1, Hong Kong 7, Liberia 1, Panama 37, Singapore 56, unknown 5) (2007)
Banjarmasin, Belawan, Ciwandan, Kotabaru, Krueg Geukueh, Palembang, Panjang, Sungai Pakning, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Priok

Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL, includes marines, naval air arm), Air Force (TNI-Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU)), National Air Defense Command (Kommando Pertahanan Udara Nasional, Kohanudnas) ; note: the TNI is directly subordinate to the president but the government is making efforts to incorporate it into the Department of Defense (2007)
18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 45 (2006)
males age 18-49: 60,543,028 ; females age 18-49: 59,981,730 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 48,687,234 ; females age 18-49: 50,252,911 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 2,201,047 ; females age 18-49: 2,139,573 (2005 est.)
3% (2005 est.)

Indonesia has a stated foreign policy objective of establishing stable fixed land and maritime boundaries with all of its neighbors; Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved all but a small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on maritime boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and alignment with Australian claims in the south; many refugees from Timor-Leste who left in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; 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 the sovereignty of Unarang rock and the maritime boundary in the Ambalat oil block in the Celebes Sea in dispute; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's Batam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait; maritime delimitation talks continue with Palau; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia has closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain catches
IDPs: 200,000-350,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi Provinces, and Maluku), 300,000 (December 2006 floods in Aceh regions) (2006)
illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; producer of methamphetamine and ecstasy

