Indonesia Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
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.
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| National motto: Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Old Javanese: Unity in Diversity) | |||||
| National ideology: Pancasila | |||||
| Official language | Bahasa Indonesia | ||||
| Capital | Jakarta | ||||
| President | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono | ||||
| Area - Total: - % water: | Ranked 15th 1,919,440 kmē 4.85% | ||||
| Population - Total (2003): - Density: | Ranked 4th
234,893,453 131/km² | ||||
| Independence - Declared: - Recognised: | From Japan August 17, 1945 December 27, 1949 | ||||
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GDP (base PPP) - Total (2003) - GDP/head | Ranked 15th $758.1 billion $3,200 | ||||
| Currency: | Rupiah | ||||
| Time zone: | UTC +7 to UTC +9 | ||||
| National anthem: | Indonesia Raya | ||||
| Internet TLD: | .ID | ||||
| Calling Code | 62 | ||||
| Table of contents |
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2 Politics 3 Provinces 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 Further reading 10 External links |
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
This is an Article on Indonesia. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Indonesia History
Main article: History of IndonesiaPolitics
Main article: Politics of IndonesiaProvinces
Main article: Provinces of IndonesiaGeography
Main article: Geography of IndonesiaEconomy
Main article: Economy of IndonesiaDemographics
Main article: Demographics of IndonesiaCulture
Main article: Culture of IndonesiaMiscellaneous topics
Further reading
External links
Official Sites (owned and operated by the government of Indonesia and its agencies)
Other Sites (not owned nor operated by the government of Indonesia and its agencies)