About Indonesia
Indonesia is a rapidly developing country in South-East Asia. With over 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago, the country is one of the most dispersed nations on earth. In addition to this the nation has a rich and vibrant history dating back to the dawn of history, and today Indonesia is one of the world’s favorite tourist destinations.
To help you understand more about Indonesia we have provided some general information about the country below. Please be advised that the information provided herein is meant for reference purposes only and may be liable to change without prior warning.
Official Name: The Republic of Indonesia, or simply Indonesia, formerly called the Dutch East Indies.
Capital: The capital of Indonesia is Jakarta, located on Java island bordering the Java Sea. Jakarta is currently the ninth most densely populated city in the world with more than 23 million people living in the metropolitan area.
Location: Indonesia is located in South-East Asia and shares land borders with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. Australia, Singapore and the Philippines are all within close distance of the country and located around the archipelago. Indonesia has water borders with the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Philippine Sea, North Pacific Ocean, and the Australian Sea, making the nation a focal point of international maritime routes.
Size: Indonesia occupies a total area of 1,919,440 square kilometers, in comparative terms this makes the country roughly the same size as Mexico and slightly larger than Libya. Indonesia is the 24th largest country in the world.
Climate: The archipelago of Indonesia is located in the tropics, as such the country’s climate tends to be tropical. However, there climate in the more inland and mountainous areas can be more moderate than along the coast. The dry season in Indonesia runs from May to October, at other times the country is prone to heavy rainfall and a higher than average number of typhoons. Flooding can be a major concern, especially in low lying costal areas during the monsoon season.
Population: With a total approximate population of 234,693,000 Indonesia has the 6th largest population in the world, directly behind the USA.
Life expectancy at birth: The Indonesian life expectancy is 70.16 years at birth. This means that Indonesia has the 135th highest life expectancy in the world. Men are only expected to live an average of 67.69 years, well below the global average.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: Approximately 0.1% of the Indonesian population is living with HIV/Aids, this is equal to an estimated 110,000 people.
Major illnesses: As Indonesia is still a developing nation there are a number of major health threats in the country, including; Hepatitis A, B, C, E, Typhoid Fever, Dengue Fever, Malaria, and bacterial Diarrhea.
Ethnic Groups: Due to Indonesia’s unique position in South East Asia and the nation’s history as a major trading destination, it comes as no surprise that there are a number of different ethnicities evident in modern day Indonesian society. These are; Javanese, Sudanese, Madurese, Minangkabu, Betawi, Bugis, Banten, and Banjar.
Languages: The official language of Indonesia is Bahasa Indonesia, a modified form of Malay. English and Dutch are widely spoken throughout the country as is the local dialect of Javanese.
Religion: 86.1% of the Indonesian population is practicing Muslims; this makes Indonesia the largest Muslim country in the world, despite the fact that there is no official state religion. 5.7% of the population is Protestant, 3% are Catholics, and 1.8% is Hindu.
Government: Indonesia is a republic. A republic is a type of government that is not lead by a monarch and one where the population of the state have a direct impact on how the country is run. In Indonesia this impact takes the form of elections, where the populace of the country votes for their political representatives. It is then the elected official’s responsibility to impose the legislation that the people have asked for and run the nation responsibly.
Head of State: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is both the head of the Indonesian state and Government. In Indonesia the president holds all executive power. The Indonesian second in command is Vice-President Muhammad Yusuf Kalla. The maximum term that can be served by any president is two consecutive 5 year terms.
Military: Indonesia has an extremely large military comprised of an army, navy, airforce, and reserve force. There is a mandatory conscription at the age of 18 for all Indonesian males, and the conscription length is 2 years. Indonesian males must participate in the reserve forces until the age of 45. Currently Indonesia spends approximately 3% of the nations total GDP on the armed forces.
Economy: Since 1968, when former president Suharto came to power, Indonesia has been experiencing significant economic reforms; reforms that are still continuing under the present administration run by President Yudhoyono. Indonesian foreign debt has steadily been decreasing and in 2007 the Indonesian stock market was the third best performer in the world. Reforms in tax laws, investment tariffs and more transparency in the stock market have all contributed to Indonesia seeing some of the largest amounts of foreign investment in the nation’s history. However, there are still some major issues facing the Indonesian economy, including high levels of government corruption, large unemployment, inadequate infrastructure and unequal resource distribution have all contributed to a slowdown in the Indonesian economy.
GDP: The Indonesian purchasing power parity is US$ 845.6 billion while the actual GDP is US$ 287.4 billion. Indonesia has the 15th highest GDP in the world.
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