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The '''Republic of Indonesia''', world's largest
archipelago, is located between the
Southeast 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 and
East Timor on the island of
Timor.
== History ==
''Main article:
History of Indonesia''
Under the influence of
Hinduism and
Buddhism, several kingdoms formed on the islands of
Sumatra and
Java from the
7th to
14th century. The arrival of
Arab traders from Gujarat, India 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 or VOC 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 began its invasion of Malaya in December. After capturing Indonesia in 1942, Japan found the Indonesian elite to be cooperative trade partners and willing to marshal troops as needed.
Sukarno,
Mohammad Hatta,
KH. Mas Mansur, and
Ki Hajar Dewantara 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, under the pressure of youth organizations, the group led by Sukarno declared Indonesian independence. In an effort the regain control of their previously occupied colonies, The Netherlands sent in their army.
These bloody efforts to quell the independence momvent became known euphemistically as 'police actions'. The Dutch finally accepted Indonesia's rights to independence on
December 27th 1949 after huge international pressure, chiefly from the
United States. Sukarno became the country's first president with Muhammad Hatta as the first vice president.
The 1950s and 1960s saw Sukarno's government aligning itself first with the emerging non-aligned movement and later with the socialist block, such as the People's Republic of China and Yugoslavia. The 1960s saw Indonesia in a military confrontation against the
British Malaya.
Sukarno's autocratic rule was almost overthrown, and the army leader
Suharto became president in
1967 with the excuse of securing the country against an alleged Communist coup attempt. Confrontation with Malaysia was ended soon after. Suharto enriched himself and his family 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 three
presidents:
Bacharuddin Jusuf (BJ) Habibie,
Abdurrahman Wahid and
Megawati Sukarnoputri. In
2004 the largest one-day election in the world was held and was won by
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The country currently suffers from internal economic, political, and religious struggles, and several regions are striving for independence (
Aceh,
Papua (formerly known as
Irian Jaya)), while East Timor became independent in
2002 after 24 years of Indonesian occupation and 3 years of
UN administration.
== Politics ==
''Main article:
Politics of Indonesia''
The highest legislative body is the ''Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat'' (MPR, head:
Hidayat Nur Wahid) or 'People's Consultative Assembly', consisting of the ''Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat'' (DPR, head:
Agung Laksono) or
Peoples Representative Council, elected for a five-year term, and the ''Dewan Perwakilan Daerah'' (DPD, head:
Ginandjar Kartasasmita) 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.
Executive power lies with the President and his/her advisers. The current President is
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The MPR formerly met every five years to elect the President. Starting in 2004, the MPR no longer elected the President and Vice-President, and instead
popular elections were held. The first popular election for President was held in July 2004. The participants were
Wiranto &
Salahuddin Wahid (
Abdurrahman Wahid's brother),
Megawati Sukarnoputri &
Hasyim Muzadi,
Amien Rais &
Siswono Yudohusodo, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono &
Jusuf Kalla and
Hamzah Haz &
Agum Gumelar.
The second stage of the 2004 presidential election was held on
September 20 2004. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono & Jusuf Kalla and Megawati Sukarnoputri & Hasyim Muzadi were the candidates. On
5 October 2004 Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono & Jusuf Kalla were declared the winners, and were inaugurated as President & Vice President on
20 October 2004.
President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sworn 34 members of his cabinet, which is called as
United Indonesia Cabinet (Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu).
== Provinces ==
''Main article:
Provinces of Indonesia''
Currently, Indonesia has 33 provinces (of those, 2 are 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,
South Sumatra,
Gorontalo,
Jambi,
Lampung,
Maluku,
North Maluku,
North Sulawesi,
North Sumatra,
Papua (Irian Jaya),
Riau,
Riau Kepulauan,
South East Sulawesi,
South Kalimantan,
South Sulawesi,
West Irian Jaya,
West Java,
West Kalimantan,
West Nusa Tenggara,
West Sulawesi,
West Sumatra
The special territories (''daerah istimewa'') are
Aceh (or ''Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam'') and
Yogyakarta. The capital city territory is
Jakarta.
== 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 populated islands are Java, where about half of the population lives, Sumatra, Borneo (shared with
Malaysia),
New Guinea (shared with
Papua 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 is the world's largest exporter of natural gas. However, it has recently become a net importer of
crude oil.
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''
Indonesia's 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 New Guinea. 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 82% of the people adhering to it. The remainder of the population is
Christian (9%),
Buddhist (2%), and
Hindu (7%). Religious conflicts have been numerous in recent years, especially in the
Maluku.
The official language, Bahasa Indonesia - a dialect of
Malay - is spoken by almost everybody, although local languages 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 and Balinese
wayang kulit shadow theatre shows, displaying several mythological events. Several Islands are famous for their
batik and
ikat cloth.
In the book
Max Havelaar, Dutch author
Multatuli criticised the Dutch treatment of the Indonesians, which gained him international attention.
Also world renowned is the Indonesian
Silat. A unique martial art originating from the archipelagos.
== Miscellaneous topics ==
*
Communications in Indonesia
*
Transportation in Indonesia
*
Islands of Indonesia
*
Military of Indonesia
*
Music of Indonesia
*
Foreign relations of Indonesia
*
List of famous Indonesians
*
Hinduism in Southeast Asia
*
Indonesian car number plates
==Further reading==
* Theodore Friend, ''Indonesian Destinies'',
Harvard University Press, 2003, hardcover, 544 pages,
ISBN 0674011376
==External links==
'''Official Sites (owned and operated by the government of Indonesia and its agencies)'''
*
www.indonesia.go.id - National Portal of Republic of Indonesia (in Indonesian)
*
Info-RI - National Information Portal (in Indonesian)
* Antara - National News Agency (available both
in English and
in Indonesian)
* RRI - National Radio Station (available in
Indonesian,
English,
French,
German,
Japanese,
Thai,
Korean, and
Spanish)
*
TVRI - National Television Station (in Indonesian)
*
List of Indonesian embassies and consulates worldwide (Department of Foreign Affairs) (follow the "Embassies & Consulates" link in the linked page)
'''Other Sites (''not'' owned nor operated by the government of Indonesia and its agencies)'''
*
Indonesia travel guide at Wikitravel
*
Link list of all Government Institutions
*
Indonesia House (in English and in Dutch)
*
Inside Indonesia (in English)
*
Indonesian Online Community
*
indonesia.rinkes.nl | Indonesia
*
Waypoint Indonesia - Destination Indonesia
*
Indonesia in Pictures
*
Business Indonesia
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Countries in
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Indonesia |
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Malaysia |
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uk:Індонезія
zh-cn:印度尼西亚
