Area
1,922,570 square kilometres or 742,308 square miles.
Population
203,456,005 people (2000 estimate).
Population Density
105.8 people per square kilometres.
Capital
Jakarta (Java).
Population
9,341,400 people (1996 estimate).
Indonesia is situated between the mainland of South-East Asia and
Australia in the Pacific and Indian oceans. It's the world’s
biggest archipelago state. Indonesia is made up of 5 major islands
– Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan (part
of the island of Borneo) and Irian Jaya (the western
half of New Guinea) and 30 smaller archipelagos. The Indonesian
archipelago includes about 17,500 islands, of which 6,000 of these
are inhabited and stretch over 4,828 kilometres or 3,000 miles,
most lying in a volcanic belt with over 300 volcanoes, most of which
are extinct. The landscape varies from island to island, from high
mountains and plateaux to coastal lowlands and tropical belts.
Government
Indonesia is a republic country, it declared independence from the
Netherlands in 1945.
Language
Bahasa is the official national language. It is very similar to
Malay and written in the Roman alphabet. In total, there are an
estimated 583 languages and dialects spoken in the archipelago.
Several local languages are separated by special forms of address
depending on social status, and all languages are spoken in a range
of local dialects.
English is the most widely used foreign language for tourism and
business, and people in the more remote areas have a basic command
of English. The older generation still speak Dutch as a 2nd language
and French is spoken at some of the major restaurants and hotels.
Religion
Muslim majority of approximately 88 %, with Christian (10 %), Hindu
(mostly in Bali) and Buddhist minorities. Animist beliefs in remote
areas.
Time
The country spans three time zones:
Bangka, Balitung, Java, West and Central Kalimantan, Madura and
Sumatra: Greenich Mean Time + 7 hours (West), Greenich Mean Ttime
+ 8 hours (Central), Greenich Mean Time + 9 hours (East).
Bali, Flores, South and East Kalimantan, Lombok, Sulawesi, Sumba,
Sumbawa and Timor: Greenich Mean Time + 8 hours.
Aru, Irian Jaya, Kai, Moluccas and Tanimbar: Greenich Mean Time
+ 9 hours.
Electricity
Usually 220 volts AC, 50Hz, but 110 volts AC, 50Hz, in some rural
areas. |
