Indonesia
republicIndependence 17 August 1945 (proclaimed independence
Indonesia as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
13 fieldsNatural 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
People
14 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1992)
Religions(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
Labor force
67,000,000; agriculture 55%, manufacturing 10%, construction 4%, transport and communications 3% (1985 est.)
Government
Republic
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
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
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
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
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
Member of
APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, 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 AP 96520);
- telephone [62] (21) 360-360;
- FAX [62] (21) 360-644;
- 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
17 fieldsOverview
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, yet, with a large and rapidly increasing population, it remains a poor country. GDP growth in 1985-91 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 23% 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 30% 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 is Indonesia's most important customer and supplier of aid. In 1991, rapid growth in the money supply prompted Jakarta to implement a tight monetary policy, forcing the private sector to go to foreign banks for investment financing. Real interest rates remained above 10%, off-shore commercial debt grew, and real GDP growth dropped slightly from the 7% of 1990.
Exports
$25.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
- commodities:
- petroleum and liquefied natural gas 40%, timber 15%, textiles 7%, rubber 5%, coffee 3%
- partners:
- Japan 40%, US 14%, Singapore 7%, Europe 16% (1990)
Imports
$21.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
- commodities:
- machinery 39%, chemical products 19%, manufactured goods 16%
- partners:
- Japan 23%, US 13%, EC, Singapore
Agriculture
- accounts for 23% 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
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade, but not a major player; government actively eradicating plantings and prosecuting traffickers
Economic aid
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.4 billion;
- Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $25.9 billion;
- OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $213 million;
- Communist countries (1970-89), $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 - 1,998.2 (January 1992), 1,950.3 (1991), 1,842.8 (1990), 1,770.1 (1989), 1,685.7 (1988), 1,643.8 (1987)
Communications
9 fieldsMerchant marine, 387 ships by type
Airports, 437 total, 410 usable
Networkskm
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
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
Telecommunications
- interisland microwave system and HF police net;
- domestic service fair, international service good;
- radiobroadcast coverage good;
- 763,000 telephones (1986);
- broadcast 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 fieldsManpower availability
- males 15-49, 51,906,415;
- 30,668,815 fit for military service;
- 2,095,698 reach military age (18) annually
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Indonesia.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/indonesia/1992.