Background: Indonesia declared its independence in 1945 from the Netherlands, a claim disputed, then recognized by the Dutch in 1949. In 1975 Indonesian troops occupied Portuguese East Timor. Current issues include implementing IMF-mandated reforms (particularly restructuring and recapitalizing the insolvent banking sector), effecting a transition to a popularly elected government, addressing longstanding grievances over the role of the ethnic Chinese business class and charges of cronyism and corruption, alleged human rights violations by the military, the role of the military and religion in politics, and growing pressures for some form of independence or autonomy by Aceh, Irian Jaya, and East Timor.

Map reference: Oceania, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 1,919,440 km²
Land: 1,826,440 km²

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
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

Natural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
Arable land: 8%
Permanent crops: 3%
Meadows and pastures: 7%
Forest and woodland: 67%
Other: 15%

Irrigated land: 75,500 km² (1989 est.)

Population: 197,232,428 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 1.61% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Indonesian(s)
Adjective: Indonesian

Ethnic groups:

Languages:

Religions:

Population growth rate: 1.61% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 24.84 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 8.73 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Environment
Current issues: archipelago of 13,500 islands (6,000 inhabited); occasional floods, severe droughts, and tsunamis; deforestation
Current issues note: straddles Equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

Infant mortality rate: 69.6 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 60.26 years
Male: 58.28 years
Female: 62.34 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.86 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Male: 84%
Female: 68%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia
Conventional short form: Indonesia
Local long form: Republik Indonesia
Local short form: Indonesia former name: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies

Government type: republic

Capital: Jakarta

Administrative divisions:

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:

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
House of Representatives: 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 appointed) GOLKAR 282, PPP 62, PDI 56

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)

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Abdul Rachman RAMLY
In the us chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: (202) 775-5,200
In the us consulates general: Houston, New York, and Los Angeles
In the us consulates: Chicago and San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robert L. BARRY
From the us embassy: Medan Merdeka Selatan 5, Jakarta
From the us mailing address: APO AP 96,520
From the us telephone: 62 (21) 360-360
From the us fax: 62 (21) 360-644
From the us consulates: Medan, Surabaya

Flag description: 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 many socialist institutions rapidly increasing population, it remains a poor country. Real GDP growth in 1985-92 averaged about 6%, quite impressive, but not sufficient to both slash underemployment and absorb the 2.3 million workers annually entering the labor force. Agriculture, including forestry and fishing, is an important sector, accounting for almost 20% of GDP and over 50% of the labor force. The staple crop is rice. Once the world's largest rice importer, Indonesia is now nearly self-sufficient. Plantation crops - rubber and palm oil - and textiles and plywood are being encouraged for both export and job generation. Industrial output now accounts for almost 40% of GDP and is based on a supply of diverse natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, timber, metals, and coal. Of these, the oil sector dominates the external economy, generating more than 20% of the government's revenues and 40% of export earnings in 1989. However, 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. Rapid growth in the money supply in 1989-90 prompted Jakarta to implement a tight monetary policy in 1991, forcing the private sector to go to foreign banks for investment financing. Real interest rates remained above 10% and off-shore commercial debt grew. The growth in off-shore debt prompted Jakarta to limit foreign borrowing beginning in late 1991. Despite the continued problems in moving toward a more open financial system and the persistence of a fairly tight credit situation, GDP growth in 1992 is estimated to have stayed at 6%.

Real gdp growth rate: 6% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $680 (1992 est.)

Agriculture products: accounts for almost 20% 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

Industries: petroleum and natural gas, textiles, mining, cement, chemical

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 11.6% (1989 est.), accounts for almost 40% of GDP

Labor force: 67 million
By occupation agriculture: 55%
By occupation manufacturing: 10%
By occupation construction: 4%
By occupation transport and communications: 3% (1985est.)

Unemployment rate: 3% ; underemployment 45% (1991 est.)

Budget: revenues $17.2 billion; expenditures $23.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $8.9 billion (FY91)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Exports: $29.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: petroleum and liquefied natural gas 40%, timber 15%, textiles 7%, rubber 5%, coffee 3%
Partners: Japan 37%, Europe 13%, US 12%, Singapore 8% (1991)

Imports: $24.6 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: machinery 39%, chemical products 19%, manufactured goods 16%
Partners: Japan 25%, Europe 23%, US 13%, Singapore 5% (1991)

Exchange rates: Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) per US$1 - 2,064.7 (January 1993), 2,029.9 (1992), 1,950.3 (1991), 1,842.8 (1990), 1,770.1 (1989), 1,685.7 (1988)

Electricity
Production: 11,600,000 kW capacity; 38,000 million kWh produced, 200 kWh per capita (1990)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $2.1 billion, 1.5% of GNP (FY93/94 est.)

Airports: 435
Usable: 411
With permanentsurface runways: 119
With runways over 3659 m: 1
With runways 2440-3659 m: 11
With runways 1220-2439 m:

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

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

Merchant marine:

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

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade, but not a major player; government actively eradicating plantings and prosecuting traffickers