Indonesia East Timor

Author: Zhou Min
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-04-01
Features: Indonesia is located in the southeastern part of Asia, spanning the equator, and consists of 13,667 islands between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Approximately 6,000 of these islands are inhabited. The coastline is 35,000 kilometers long. It has a tropical rainforest climate with an average temperature of 25-27°C. From the 3rd to the 7th centuries, several scattered dynasties were established. In the late 13th to early 14th centuries, Java formed the powerful feudal empire of Majapahit. In the 15th century, it was successively invaded by Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In 1596, the Dutch invaded, and in 1602, the "Dutch East India Company" was established, marking the beginning of more than 300 years of colonial rule. In 1942, Japan invaded, and after Japan surrendered in 1945, the August Revolution broke out. On August 17, Indonesia declared independence and established the Republic of Indonesia.
Natural Geography: Located in the southeastern part of Asia, spanning the equator. It consists of 175,088 islands between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, of which approximately 6,000 are inhabited. The land area is 1,904,443 square kilometers, earning it the name "the land of a thousand islands." The territorial sea area is about four times that of the land area. The northern part of Borneo Island borders Malaysia, and New Guinea Island is connected to Papua New Guinea. The northeastern part faces the Philippines, the southeastern part is the Indian Ocean, and the southwest borders Australia. The coastline is 35,000 kilometers long. It has a tropical rainforest climate with an average annual temperature of 25-27°C.
Population: 210 million, making it the fourth most populous country in the world. It has over 100 ethnic groups. The Javanese account for 47%, the Sundanese for 14%, and the Madurese for 7%. Bahasa Indonesia is the official language. There are approximately 300 ethnic languages and dialects. About 88% of the population follows Islam, making it the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. 6.1% follow Protestant Christianity, 3.6% follow Catholicism, and others follow Hinduism, Buddhism, and animism.
Capital: Jakarta, located on the island of Java; population of 8.385 million (2000).
Administrative Divisions: After East Timor separated from Indonesia in 1999, the Indonesian government divided the provinces of Maluku and Irian Jaya into two and three provinces, respectively, and agreed to some regions establishing new provinces. Currently, there are 32 provinces (first-level administrative regions), including: Aceh Special Region, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, Lampung, Jakarta Special Capital Region, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta Special Region, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku, South Maluku, East Irian Jaya, Central Irian Jaya, West Irian Jaya, North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan, Banten Province, Bangka-Belitung Province, and Kolaka Province.
Politics: It implements a presidential parliamentary system. The People's Consultative Assembly is the highest state power body, with the authority to formulate, amend, and enact the constitution and national policies, as well as to elect the president and vice president. It supervises and evaluates the president's implementation of national policies and can impeach or dismiss the president if they violate the constitution. It has 700 members and a term of 5 years. The House of Representatives (officially the People's Representative Council) is the national legislative body, exercising general legislative powers except for drafting and amending the constitution and formulating national policies. The president is the head of state, the highest administrative head, and the supreme commander of the armed forces, directly leading the cabinet. They have the authority to issue decrees independently and declare national emergency decrees; they also have the power to declare war or peace.
Economy: Rich in resources. The main minerals include oil, natural gas, coal, tin, bauxite, nickel, copper, gold, and silver. The proven mineral reserves are: 50 billion barrels of oil, 730 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, making it a world-famous liquefied natural gas exporter; 36 billion tons of coal, making it an important coal producer in the Asia-Pacific region and a major coal exporter in the world. It has abundant geothermal resources, and rubber and coconut production rank second in the world. Palm oil production accounts for 2/5 of global demand. The forest area is 145 million hectares, accounting for 74% of the country's land area. The direction of Indonesia's industrial development is to strengthen export-oriented manufacturing, with main sectors including manufacturing, mining, textiles, light industry, and processing industries. Including those engaged in forestry and fishing, agricultural population accounts for about 55% of the total population. Indonesia attaches importance to tourism, which has become the country's main industry for earning foreign exchange. Major tourist attractions include Bali Island, Borobudur Temple, Indonesia (Miniature Indonesia Park), Yogyakarta Palace, and Lake Toba. Indonesia's tourism industry is well-developed. In 1991, 2.5 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia, an increase of 17.9% from 1990, generating $2.4 billion in foreign exchange, an increase of 85% from $1.3 billion in 1990, ranking third in national income and has entered the ranks of the world's top 20 tourism powers. The best time to visit Indonesia is from June to September. The best route is Jakarta-Bandung-Bogor-Yogyakarta-Surabaya, then Bali and Madura. Bali has a beautiful environment and picturesque scenery, with Mount Agung and Mount Batur. It is dotted with numerous historical and cultural sites. Bali is famous for its numerous temples, with over 4,000 now in existence. The most famous temple is the Besakih Temple. Bali has become a world-renowned tourist destination. Surakarta is located on the upper reaches of the Solo River in the west of Mount Lawu in central Java. The city is famous for its traditional Javanese batik and traditional dances accompanied by Gamelan music. It is an ancient city with historical buildings such as the palace. It is well-connected and has a cool climate. Semarang is a major city in northern Java and Indonesia's third-largest port. The city has many Chinese-style buildings. The famous Sam Po Temple in the western suburbs was built to commemorate the Chinese navigator Zheng He. The temple houses a full-body statue of Sam Po and the "Sam Po Well."
Indonesia's official language is Bahasa Indonesia, which developed from Malay. There are also over 200 ethnic languages and dialects, such as Javanese and Sundanese. 86.9% of the population follows Islam, 6.5% follows Christianity, and 3.1% follows Catholicism. Additionally, there are followers of Hinduism, Buddhism, and animism.