Country name:

Indonesia

Conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia
Conventional short form: Indonesia
Local long form: Republik Indonesia
Former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies
Local short form: Indonesia

Government type:

Republic

Capital:

Jakarta

Administrative divisions:

27 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, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta*; note - with the implementation of decentralization on 1 January 2001, the 357 districts (regencies) have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services
note: following the 30 August 1999 provincial referendum for independence that was overwhelmingly approved by the people of Timor Timur and the October 1999 concurrence of Indonesia's national legislature, the name East Timor was adopted as the provisional name for the political entity formerly known as Propinsi Timor Timur; East Timor gained its formal independence on 20 May 2002

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

Population:

231,328,092 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Location:

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

Geographic coordinates:

5 00 S, 120 00 E

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Area:

Total: 1,919,440 sq km
Water: 93,000 sq km

Land: 1,826,440 sq km

Area - comparative:

Slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

Total: 2,830 km
Border countries: East Timor 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km

Coastline:

54,716 km

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: 9.9%
Permanent crops: 7.2%
Other: 82.9% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:

48,150 sq km (1998 est.)

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
Signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

Archipelago of 17,000 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles Equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean