Indonesia — map and facts

About Indonesia

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago nation, comprising over 17,000 islands stretching approximately 5,000 kilometres across the equatorial Indian and Pacific Oceans. With a population of around 277 million, it is the fourth most populous country in the world. Indonesia is a presidential republic; the directly elected president serves as both head of state and head of government. Jakarta has been the historic capital, though the government is in the process of relocating the capital to Nusantara on the island of Borneo. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority country by population, though the state ideology of Pancasila enshrines religious pluralism alongside nationalism, humanitarianism, democracy, and social justice. The country recognises over 700 languages and hundreds of distinct ethnic groups, with Javanese being the largest. Bahasa Indonesia, a standardised form of Malay, serves as the unifying national language. Indonesia is a major emerging economy, a member of the G20, and the largest economy in South-East Asia, driven by natural resources, manufacturing, and a growing digital economy.

Geography and Landscape

Indonesia's 17,000-plus islands span roughly the distance from Portugal to Iran and straddle the equator. The major islands are Sumatra, Java, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi, and the western half of New Guinea (Papua). The terrain is predominantly mountainous and heavily forested; Indonesia contains some of the world's most extensive tropical rainforests, second only to the Amazon in biodiversity. The country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it one of the most seismically and volcanically active regions on Earth; Indonesia has over 130 active volcanoes, including Krakatoa, Merapi, and the world's largest caldera lake at Lake Toba in Sumatra. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, centred off Sumatra's coast, was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. The seas between the islands — including the Java Sea, Banda Sea, and Celebes Sea — are vital maritime corridors. The climate is tropical equatorial, with high rainfall and temperatures year-round, though rainfall patterns vary significantly across the archipelago.

History

Indonesia's islands have been home to advanced civilisations for millennia. The Buddhist Srivijaya empire (seventh–fourteenth centuries) controlled maritime trade across South-East Asia from its base in Sumatra, while the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit empire (1293–1527) extended influence across much of the archipelago from Java. Islam spread gradually from the thirteenth century, brought by traders, and became dominant across most of the region by the sixteenth century. Portuguese traders arrived in the early sixteenth century seeking spices, followed by the Dutch, who established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1602. The Dutch gradually extended colonial control over the archipelago, establishing the Dutch East Indies. Colonial rule lasted over three centuries, characterised by exploitation of natural resources and suppression of nationalist movements. Japanese occupation during the Second World War (1942–1945) accelerated nationalist sentiment. On 17 August 1945, Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed independence; after a four-year struggle against Dutch reimposition of control, full sovereignty was recognised in 1949. Indonesia has since navigated democracy, authoritarianism under Suharto (1966–1998), and a return to democratic governance following the Reformasi movement.