Overview:
The Indian Ocean provides a major highway for the movement of petroleum
products from the Middle East to Europe and North and South American
countries. Fish from the ocean are of growing economic importance to many of
the bordering countries as a source of both food and exports. Fishing fleets
from Russia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly
for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the
offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and Western Australia. An
estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian
Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are
actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa,
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Industries:
based on exploitation of natural resources, particularly marine life,
minerals, oil and gas production, fishing, sand and gravel aggregates,
placer deposits
:Indian Ocean Communications
Ports:
Bombay (India), Calcutta (India), Madras (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka),
Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Australia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Melbourne
(Australia), Richard's Bay (South Africa)
Telecommunications:
submarine cables from India to United Arab Emirates and Malaysia
:Indonesia Geography
Total area:
1,919,440 km2
Land area:
1,826,440 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
2,602 km; Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km
Coastline:
54,716 km
Maritime claims:
(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with Portugal
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain:
mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains
Natural resources:
crude oil, tin, natural gas liquids, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper,
fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
Land use:
arable land 8%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and
woodland 67%; other 15%; includes irrigated 3%
Environment:
archipelago of 13,500 islands (6,000 inhabited); occasional floods, severe
droughts, and tsunamis; deforestation
Note:
straddles Equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from
Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean
:Indonesia People
Population:
195,683,531 (July 1992), growth rate 1.7% (1992)
Birth rate:
25 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
70 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
59 years male, 64 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Indonesian(s); adjective - Indonesian
Ethnic divisions:
majority of Malay stock comprising Javanese 45.0%, Sundanese 14.0%, Madurese
7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26.0%
Religions:
Muslim 87%, Protestant 6%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other
1% (1985)
Languages:
Bahasa Indonesia (modified form of Malay; official); English and Dutch
leading foreign languages; local dialects, the most widely spoken of which
is Javanese
Literacy:
77% (male 84%, female 68%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
67,000,000; agriculture 55%, manufacturing 10%, construction 4%, transport
and communications 3% (1985 est.)
Organized labor:
3,000,000 members (claimed); about 5% of labor force
:Indonesia Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Indonesia
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)
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
National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 August (1945)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR); 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)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Gen. (Ret.) SOEHARTO (since 27 March 1968); Vice President Lt.
Gen. (Ret.) SUDHARMONO (since 11 March 1988)
Political parties and leaders:
GOLKAR (quasi-official party based on functional groups), Lt. Gen. (Ret.)
WAHONO, general chairman; Indonesia Democracy Party (PDI - federation of
former Nationalist and Christian Parties), SOERYADI, chairman; Development
Unity Party (PPP, federation of former Islamic parties), Ismail Hasan
METAREUM, chairman
Suffrage:
universal at age 17 and married persons regardless of age
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held on 23 April 1987 (next to be held 8 June 1992); results - Golkar
73%, UDP 16%, PDI 11%; seats - (500 total - 400 elected, 100 appointed)
Golkar 299, UDP 61, PDI 40
Communists:
Communist Party (PKI) was officially banned in March 1966; current strength
about 1,000-3,000, with less than 10% engaged in organized activity;
pre-October 1965 hardcore membership about 1.5 million
:Indonesia Government