General Info about Indonesia

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

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

Indonesia Economy

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, 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.

GDP: exchange rate conversion - $122 billion, per capita $630; real growth rate 6.0% (1991 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1991 est.)

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

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

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

External debt: $58.5 billion (1990 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 11.6% (1989 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP

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

Industries: petroleum, textiles, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, food, rubber

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)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Indonesia Communications

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

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

Merchant marine: 387 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,698,946 GRT/2,560,414 DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 13 passenger-cargo, 231 cargo, 8 container, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 vehicle carrier, 79 petroleum tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 7 specialized tanker, 1 livestock carrier, 25 bulk, 1 passenger

Civil air: about 216 commercial transport aircraft

Airports: 437 total, 410 usable; 114 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 64 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

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

Indonesia Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

Manpower availability: males 15-49, 51,906,415; 30,668,815 fit for military service; 2,095,698 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.7 billion, 2% of GNP (FY91) .