ABOUT INDONESIA (CIA version)

Background: The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; Japan occupied the islands 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 transfer sovereignty in 1949. Indonesia's first free parliamentary election after decades of repressive rule took place in 1999. Indonesia is now the world's third-largest democracy, the world's largest archipelagic state, and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, improving education, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing economic and financial reforms, stemming corruption, holding the military and police accountable for past human rights violations, addressing climate change, 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 movement in Papua.

Geography ::Indonesia

Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean Geographic coordinates: 5 00 S, 120 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 1,904,569 sq km country comparison to the world: 23 land: 1,811,569 sq km water: 93,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 2,830 km border countries: Timor-Leste 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km Coastline: 54,716 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m Natural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver Land use: arable land: 11.03% permanent crops: 7.04% other: 81.93% (2005) Irrigated land: 45,000 sq km (2003) Total renewable water resources: 2,838 cu km (1999) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 82.78 cu km/yr (8%/1%/91%) per capita: 372 cu m/yr (2000) Natural hazards: occasional floods; severe droughts; tsunamis; earthquakes; volcanoes; forest fires Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

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