Indonesia

republicIndependence 17 August 1945 (from Netherlands

Indonesia as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalJakarta
Area1,919,440 km2
1990

Every edition of Indonesia

Populationas each edition published it
190.14 million July 1990 · 283.59m in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 1.61% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 25.8 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 60.26 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.1 children per woman 1990 · 1.93 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
75 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 18.5 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $680 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 6% in 1993

Geography

15 fields

Land useshare of 1,919,440 km2

arable land 8%permanent crops 3%meadows and pastures 7%forest and woodland 67%other 15%includes 3% irrigated
Total area
1,919,440km2
land area: 1,826,440 km2Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Coastline
54,716km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Land boundaries
2,602km total
Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km

Continental shelf

to depth of exploitation;

Disputes

East Timor question 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, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

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

People

14 fields
Population
190,136,221
(July 1990), growth rate 1.8% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth
27Death
9Net migration
0

Religion

Muslim 88%Protestant 6%Roman Catholic 3%Hindu 2%other 1%

Infant mortality rate

75 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

58 years male, 63 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate

3.1 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality

noun--Indonesian(s); adjective--Indonesian

Ethnic divisions

majority of Malay stock comprising 45.0% Javanese, 14.0% Sundanese, 7.5% Madurese, 7.5% coastal Malays, 26.0% other

Language

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

Labor force

67,000,000; 55% agriculture, 10% manufacturing, 4% construction, 3% transport and communications (1985 est.)

Organized labor

3,000,000 members (claimed); about 5% of labor force

Government

Republic

17 fields

House of Representatives, 400 seats, elected 23 April 1987seats by party

(500 total--400 elected, 100 appointed) Golkar 299UDP 61PDI 40

Percent of vote

Golkar 73%UDP 16%PDI 11%

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 (from Netherlands; formerly Netherlands or Dutch East Indies)

Constitution

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

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) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. (Ret.) SOEHARTO (since 27 March 1968);
  • Vice President Lt. Gen. (Ret.) SUDHARMONO (since 11 March 1983)

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 House of Representatives--last held on 23 April 1987 (next to be held 23 April 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

Member of

ADB, ANRPC, ASEAN, Association of Tin Producing Countries, CCC, CIPEC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador Abdul Rachman RAMLY;
  • Chancery at 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036;
  • telephone (202) 775-5200;
  • there are Indonesian Consulates General in Houston, New York, and Los Angeles, and Consulates in Chicago and San Francisco;
  • US--Ambassador John C. MONJO;
  • Embassy at Medan Merdeka Selatan 5, Jakarta (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96356);
  • telephone [62] (21) 360-360;
  • there are US Consulates in Medan and Surabaya

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

Indonesia is a mixed economy with many socialist institutions and central planning but with a recent emphasis on deregulation and private enterprise.

17 fields
Unemployment rate
3.1%
(1989 est.)
External debt
$55.0billion
medium and long-term (1989 est.)

Exports $21.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.)commodities, where a share is given

petroleum and liquefied natural gas
40%timber
15%textiles
7%rubber
5%coffee
3%
; partners--Japan 42%, US 16%, Singapore 9%, EC 11% (1988)

Imports $13.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.)

machinery
39%chemical products
19%manufactured goods
16%
; partners--Japan 26%, EC 19%, US 13%, Singapore 7% (1988)

Budget

Revenues
$20.9 billionExpenditures
$20.9 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $7.5 billion (FY89)

Overview

Indonesia is a mixed economy with many socialist institutions and central planning but with a recent emphasis on deregulation and private enterprise. Indonesia has extensive natural wealth but, with a large and rapidly increasing population, it remains a poor country. GNP growth in 1985-89 averaged about 4%, somewhat short of the 5% rate needed to absorb the 2.3 million workers annually entering the labor force.

Agriculture, including forestry and fishing, is the most important sector, accounting for 21% 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--are being encouraged for both export and job generation.

The diverse natural resources include 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. Japan is Indonesia's most important customer and supplier of aid.

GNP

$80 billion, per capita $430; real growth rate 5.7% (1989 est.)

Industrial production

growth rate 4.8% (1988 est.)

Electricity

11,600,000 kW capacity; 38,000 million kWh produced, 200 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

petroleum, textiles, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer production, timber, food, rubber

Agriculture

  • subsistence food production;
  • small-holder and plantation production for export;
  • rice, cassava, peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, copra, other tropical products

Illicit drugs

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

Aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $4.2 billion;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $19.8 billion;
  • OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $213 million;
  • Communist countries (1970-88), $175 million

Currency

Indonesian rupiah (plural--rupiahs); 1 Indonesian rupiah (Rp) = 100 sen (sen no longer used)

Exchange rates

Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) per US$1--1,804.9 (January 1990), 1,770.1 (1989), 1,685.7 (1988), 1,643.8 (1987), 1,282.6 (1986), 1,110.6 (1985)

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 313 ships by type

short-sea passenger 5passenger-cargo 13cargo 173container 6roll-on/roll-off cargo 3vehicle carrier 2petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 77chemical tanker 1liquefied gas 2specialized tanker 6livestock carrier 1bulk 24313 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,480,912 GRT/2,245,233 DWT

Airports, 468 total, 435 usable

permanent-surface runways
106runways over 3,659 m
1runways 2,440-3,659 m
12runways 1,220-2,439 m
62

Networkskm

Highways
119,500Railroads
6,964Inland waterways
21,579
Highways: ; 11,812 km state, 34,180 km provincial, and 73,508 km district roads · Railroads: ; 6,389 km 1.067-meter gauge, 497 km 0.750-meter gauge, 78 km 0.600-meter gauge; 211 km double track; 101 km electrified; all government owned · Inland waterways: ; Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Celebes 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km

Railroads

  • 6,964 km total;
  • 6,389 km 1.067-meter gauge, 497 km 0.750-meter gauge, 78 km 0.600-meter gauge;
  • 211 km double track;
  • 101 km electrified;
  • all government owned

Highways

119,500 km total; 11,812 km state, 34,180 km provincial, and 73,508 km district roads

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; refined products, 456 km; natural gas, 1,703 km (1989)

Ports

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

Civil air

about 216 commercial transport aircraft

Telecommunications

  • interisland microwave system and HF police net;
  • domestic service fair, international service good;
  • radiobroadcast coverage good;
  • 763,000 telephones (1986);
  • stations--618 AM, 38 FM, 9 TV;
  • satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station;
  • and 1 domestic satellite communications system

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49
49,283,496fit for military service
29,137,291reach military age (18) annually
2,098,169
Defense expenditures
2.1%of GNP
(1987)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

Central Intelligence Agency. “Indonesia.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/indonesia/1990.

How to cite 1991 edition →