Indonesia
Republic of IndonesiaRepublik Indonesia
republicIndependence 17 August 1945 (independence proclaimed)
Indonesia as the 2004 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 130 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state. Current issues include: alleviating widespread poverty, preventing terrorism, continuing the transition to popularly-elected governments after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing reforms of the banking sector, addressing charges of cronyism and corruption, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, and resolving armed separatist movements in Aceh and Papua.
Geography
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
18 fieldsLand useshare of 1,919,440 sq km
Natural resources
petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
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, 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 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited);
- straddles equator;
- strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean
People
19 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2004 est.)
Male · female
Religions(1998)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 29.4% (male 35,635,790; female 34,416,854)
- 15-64 years:
- 65.5% (male 78,097,767; female 78,147,909)
- 65 years and over:
- 5.1% (male 5,308,986; female 6,845,646) (2004 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.78 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Languages
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese
Government
Republic; President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004); President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 550 seats, elected 5 April 2004seats by party
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Indonesia
- conventional short form:
- Indonesia
- local long form:
- Republik Indonesia
- local short form:
- Indonesia
- former:
- Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies
Administrative divisions
- 30 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, Irian Jaya Barat, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Barat, 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 or regencies became the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services
Independence
17 August 1945 (independence proclaimed); 27 December 1949 (Netherlands recognizes Indonesian independence)
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 and election codes;
- has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004);
- note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004);
- note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president
- elections:
- president and vice president were elected by direct vote of the citizenry
- election results:
- Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president receiving 60.6% of vote; MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri received 39.4%
Legislative branch
- unicameral House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) (550 seats; members serve five-year terms);
- House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input to DPR on issues affecting regions;
- People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and impeaching President and in amending constitution;
- consists of popularly-elected members in DPR and DPD;
- MPR does not formulate national policy
- elections:
- last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P 18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others 19.9%;
- seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN 53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50
note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not always follow the number of votes received by parties
Judicial branch
- Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the president from a list of candidates approved by the legislature);
- a separate Constitutional Court or Makhama Konstitusi was invested by the president on 16 August 2003;
- in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
Political parties and leaders
- Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [Yusril Ihza MAHENDRA, chairman];
- Democratic Party or PD [Subur BUDHISANTOSO, chairman];
- Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf KALLA, chairman];
- Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri, chairperson];
- National Awakening Party or PKB [Alwi SHIHAB, chairman];
- National Mandate Party or PAN [Amien RAIS, chairman];
- Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [MAHFUD, acting chairman];
- United Development Party or PPP [Hamzah HAZ, chairman]
International organization participation
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador SOEMADI Brotodiningrat
- chancery:
- 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 775-5200
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 775-5365
- consulate(s) general:
- Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE
- embassy:
- Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 3-5, Jakarta 10110
- mailing address:
- Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520
- telephone:
- [62] (21) 3435-9000
- FAX:
- [62] (21) 385-7189
- consulate(s) general:
- 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
46 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2003 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, faces economic development problems stemming from recent acts of terrorism, unequal resource distribution among regions, endemic corruption, the lack of reliable legal recourse in contract disputes, weaknesses in the banking system, and a generally poor climate for foreign investment.
Indonesia withdrew from its IMF program at the end of 2003, but issued a "White Paper" that commits the government to maintaining fundamentally sound macroeconomic policies previously established under IMF guidelines. Investors, however, continued to face a host of on-the-ground microeconomic problems and an inadequate judicial system.
Keys to future growth remain internal reform, building up the confidence of international and domestic investors, and strong global economic growth.
Agriculture - products
rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra, poultry, beef, pork, eggs
Industries
petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism
Economic aid - recipient
$43 billion Indonesia finished its IMF program in December 2003 but still receives bilateral aid through the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), which pledged $2.8 billion in grants and loans for 2004. (2003 est.)
Exchange rates
Indonesian rupiahs per US dollar - 8,577.13 (2003), 9,311.19 (2002), 10,260.8 (2001), 8,421.77 (2000), 7,855.15 (1999)
Fiscal year
calendar year; note - previously was 1 April - 31 March, but starting with 2001, has been changed to calendar year
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- domestic service fair, international service good
- domestic:
- interisland microwave system and HF radio police net; domestic satellite communications system
- international:
- country code - 62; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Transportation
10 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 6,458 km
- narrow gauge:
- 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (2003)
Waterways
21,579 km note: Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km (2004)
Pipelines
- condensate 850 km;
- condensate/gas 128 km;
- gas 8,506 km;
- oil 7,472 km;
- oil/gas/water 66 km;
- refined products 1,329 km (2004)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 718 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,192,847 GRT/4,319,739 DWT
- by type:
- bulk 47, cargo 398, chemical tanker 13, container 57, liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 1, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 128, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 15, short-sea/passenger 9, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 7
- foreign-owned:
- France 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 2, Japan 3, Malaysia 1, Monaco 2, Panama 1, Philippines 2, Singapore 12, Switzerland 1, United Kingdom 2, United States 1
- registered in other countries:
- 109 (2004 est.)
Military
Indonesia Armed Forces (TNI): Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL, including Marines, Naval Air arm), Air Force (TNI-AU)
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Indonesia Armed Forces (TNI): Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL, including Marines, Naval Air arm), Air Force (TNI-AU)
Military manpower - military age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2002)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
- East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey and delimit land boundary, but several sections of the boundary remain unresolved;
- Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Palau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary;
- numbers of East Timor refugees in Indonesia refuse repatriation;
- a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain;
- ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands;
- Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 535,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi Provinces) (2004)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; possible growing role as transshipment point for Golden Triangle heroin
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Indonesia.” The World Factbook 2004. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/indonesia/2004.