Indonesia

Indonesia 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 2,602 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km

Coastline

54,716 km

Maritime Claims

Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

International Disputes

Sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with Portugal and not recognized by the UN; two islands in dispute with Malaysia

Climate

Tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain

Mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

75,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Archipelago of 13,500 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles Equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

PEOPLE

Population

206,611,600 (July 1996 est.)
203,583,886 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

32% (male 33,354,840; female 32,414,363) (July 1996 est.)
32% (male 33,485,810; female 32,548,039) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

64% (male 66,385,852; female 66,827,085) (July 1996 est.)
64% (male 64,914,362; female 65,394,816) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

4% (male 3,380,567; female 4,248,893) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 3,213,492; female 4,027,367) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.53% (1996 est.)
1.56% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

23.67 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
24.06 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

8.38 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
8.48 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
all ages: 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

63.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
65 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

2.7 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.74 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Bahasa Indonesia (modified form of Malay; official), English, Dutch, local dialects the most widely spoken of which is Javanese

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

67 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

ID

Type

Republic

Capital

Jakarta

Administrative Divisions

24 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Bengkulu, Irian Jaya, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Lampung, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Riau, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Timor Timur, Yogyakarta*

Independence

17 August 1945 (proclaimed independence; on 27 December 1949, Indonesia became legally independent from the Netherlands)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 17 August (1945)

Constitution

August 1945, abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959

Legal System

Based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR)

Elections last held on 8 June 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - GOLKAR 68%, PPP 17%, PDI 15%; seats - (500 total, 400 elected, 100 military representatives appointed) GOLKAR 282, PPP 62, PDI 56

Note: The People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) includes the DPR plus 500 indirectly elected members who meet every five years to elect the president and vice president and, theoretically, to determine national policy

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (Mahkamah Agung)

Political Parties and Leaders

GOLKAR (quasi-official party based on functional groups), Lt. Gen. (Ret.) HARMOKO, general chairman; Indonesia Democracy Party (PDI - federation of former Nationalist and Christian Parties), Megawati SUKARNOPUTRI, chairman; Development Unity Party (PPP, federation of former Islamic parties), Ismail Hasan METAREUM, chairman

Member of

APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, Mekong Group, NAM, OIC, OPEC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

Two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of Poland, which is white (top) and red

ECONOMY

Overview

Indonesia is a mixed economy with some central planning but with an emphasis on rapid deregulation and private enterprise. Real GDP growth in 1985-95 averaged about 7%, quite impressive, but not sufficient to both slash underemployment and absorb the 2.3 million workers annually entering the labor force. Plantation crops - rubber and palm oil - and textiles and plywood are being encouraged for both export and job generation. Industrial output is based on a supply of diverse natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, timber, metals, and coal. Foreign investment has also boosted manufacturing output and exports in recent years. Indeed, the economy's growth is highly dependent on the continuing expansion of nonoil exports. Japan remains Indonesia's most important customer and supplier of aid. Like some other rapidly developing countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is struggling to keep the economy from overheating, and in 1997 it was one of the asian countries which had severe problems with value losses on their currencies.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $710.9 billion (1995 est.); $619.4 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

7.8% (1996)
7.5% (1995)
6.7% (1994)

National Product Per Capita

$3,500 (1995 est.)
$3,090 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

8.6% (1995 est.)
9.3% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

3% official rate; underemployment 40% (1994 est.)

Budget

Exports

$39.9 billion (f.o.b, 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$32 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$97.6 billion (1995 est.)
$87 billion (1994)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 13.9% (1995 est.); 8.4% (1993 est.); accounts for 32.6% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 17% of GDP; subsistence food production; small-holder and plantation production for export; main products are rice, cassava, peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra, other tropical products, poultry, beef, pork, eggs

Illicit Drugs

Illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; government actively eradicating plantings and prosecuting traffickers; minor role as transshipment point for Golden Triangle heroin

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Indonesian rupiah (Rp) = 100 sen (sen no longer used)

Exchange Rates

Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) per US$1 - 16,000 (January 1998), 12,000 (December 1997), 2,306.3 (January 1996), 2,248.6 (1995), 2,160.8 (1994), 2,087.1 (1993), 2,029.9 (1992), 1,950.3 (1991), 1,842.8 (1990)

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

21,579 km total; Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Celebes 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km

Pipelines

Crude oil 2,505 km; petroleum products 456 km; natural gas 1,703 km (1989)

Ports

Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Semarang, Surabaya, Ujungpandang

Merchant Marine

Airports

Heliports

4 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

1,276,600 telephones (1993 est.); domestic service fair, international service good

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 57,222,025; males fit for military service 33,702,395; males reach military age (18) annually 2,280,360 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $2.7 billion, 1.4% of GNP (FY95/96); $2.4 billion, 1.5% of GNP (FY94/95)

History
World Atlas