INDONESIA

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,500 islands, around 6,000 of which are inhabited. The nation stretches 3,200 miles (some 5,100 km) from east to west. Formerly known as the East Indies, the islands were ruled by the Dutch from 1602 through 1941, when Japanese forces invaded. In 1945, the Dutch attempted to restore colonial rule, but nationalist leaders proclaimed an independent republic of Indonesia. After a bitter war, the Dutch conceded independence in 1949. From 1949 through 1967, Indonesia was under the increasingly dictatorial rule of President Sukarno (1901–1970). Sukarno was forced to stand down after an attempted communist coup and was replaced by President Suharto (born 1921), under whom the economy rapidly developed. By 1998–1999, Indonesia faced ethnic and religious conflicts, separatist movements in East Timor, Papua, and Atjeh, and widespread discontent because of corruption. Popular demonstrations swept Suharto from power, and multiparty politics were introduced.

COUNTRY PROFILE

FLAG

The national flag of Indonesia has two horizontal bands, red over white. The flag was adopted on August 17, 1945, the day that independence was first proclaimed. The colors are the same as those of the nine-stripe flag of the thirteenth-century Majapahit kingdom in Java, and red and white are sacred colors in Indonesian tradition. The flag is identical to that of the small European principality of Monaco except in its proportions: the Indonesian flag has the proportions of 2:3 (vertical:horizontal), while the flag of Monaco has the proportions of 4:5.

GEOGRAPHY

METROPOLITAN AREAS, 2000 POPULATIONS

NEIGHBORS AND LENGTH OF BORDERS

POPULATION

ECONOMY

GOVERNMENT

TRANSPORTATION

POPULATION PROFILE, 2004 ESTIMATES

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The lakeside Hindu temple of Ulun...
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World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia

Outrigger canoes are used for fishing...
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World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia

President Yudhoyono speaks at a news...
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World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia

President Sukarno talks with conference delegates...
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World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia

Demonstrators in Jayapura, the capital of...
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General Suharto (left), seated beside Foreign...
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B. J. Habibie held a number...
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World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia

A Balinese sculptor carves a Hindu...
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Two Balinese dancers wear traditional costumes...
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Members of a Balinese family erect...
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World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia

Nasi goreng is a popular traditional...
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Dessert in Indonesia is often fresh...
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The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in the...
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Islam determines segregation by gender in...
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The crew of a U.S. naval...
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Children at a school in Jakarta’s...
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The flag of Indonesia....
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