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Indonesia

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Indonesia is a massive country made of many islands.

Indonesia (orthographic projection)
Indonesia (orthographic projection)

It sits in Southeast Asia and Oceania between two big oceans. These are the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest archipelagic state in the whole world. This means it is a country made of many islands. There are between 13,000 and 17,000 islands in total.

Location Indonesia ASEAN
Location Indonesia ASEAN

About 922 of these islands have people living on them. The five largest islands are Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, and New Guinea.

The land in Indonesia is very active and changing. It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is a place where tectonic plates meet and push together. Because of this, there are many earthquakes and volcanoes.

Bromo-Semeru-Batok-Widodaren
Bromo-Semeru-Batok-Widodaren

There are about 130 volcanoes that are still active today. While volcanoes can be dangerous, they also help the land. The ash from volcanoes makes the soil very fertile. This rich soil helps many people grow food on islands like Java and Bali.

Lake Toba and the surrounding hills
Lake Toba and the surrounding hills

The country also has huge lakes, like Lake Toba in Sumatra.

People have lived in these islands for a very long time. Scientists found fossils of early humans like Homo erectus there.

Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave painting of Bull
Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave painting of Bull

There are even very old cave paintings that are 40,000 years old. Later, traders from India and China visited the islands. They brought new ideas like Hinduism and Buddhism.

Borobudur-Nothwest-view
Borobudur-Nothwest-view

Eventually, Islam became a major religion in many parts of the country. For many years, the Dutch ruled the islands as a colony. After World War II, Indonesia fought for its freedom. It finally became an independent nation in 1949.

Today, Indonesia is a very large and busy place. It has over 280 million people living across its provinces.

Population density of Indonesia by district (kecamatan) (2022) (alternate colour scheme)
Population density of Indonesia by district (kecamatan) (2022) (alternate colour scheme)

This makes it the fourth most crowded country in the world. More than half of all Indonesians live on the island of Java.

Jakarta riot 14 May 1998
Jakarta riot 14 May 1998

The capital city, Jakarta, is a huge urban area. There are hundreds of different ethnic groups living together. Even with so many differences, they share one national language. They follow a motto called Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which means unity in diversity.

Indonesia is a very important part of the world today. It has the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

Morowali Industrial Park
Morowali Industrial Park

The country is a member of many global groups like the United Nations and the G20. It also helps lead its neighbors in a group called ASEAN.

ASEAN HQ 1
ASEAN HQ 1

The weather stays warm and tropical all year long. There are two main seasons: the wet season and the dry season.

Koppen-Geiger Map IDN present
Koppen-Geiger Map IDN present

Because it is surrounded by warm water, the temperature stays quite steady. This makes Indonesia a unique and vital place on Earth.

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🖼️ Images & Media (33)
Indonesia Raya instrumental.ogg
File:Indonesia (orthographic projection).svg
Indonesia (orthographic projection).svg
File:Location Indonesia ASEAN.svg
Location Indonesia ASEAN.svg
File:Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave painting of Bull.jpg
Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave painting of Bull.jpg
File:Nicolaas Pieneman - The Submission of Prince Dipo Negoro to General De Kock.jpg
Nicolaas Pieneman - The Submission of...
File:Bromo-Semeru-Batok-Widodaren.jpg
Bromo-Semeru-Batok-Widodaren.jpg
File:Koppen-Geiger Map IDN present.svg
Koppen-Geiger Map IDN present.svg
File:Lake Toba and the surrounding hills.jpg
Lake Toba and the surrounding hills.jpg
File:202306 Varanus komodoensis.jpg
202306 Varanus komodoensis.jpg
File:Unnamed Road, Kapisawar, Meos Mansar, Kabupaten Raja Ampat, Papua Bar. 98482, Indonesia - panoramio (84).jpg
Unnamed Road, Kapisawar, Meos Mansar,...
File:Ruang MPR.jpg
Ruang MPR.jpg
File:ASEAN HQ 1.jpg
ASEAN HQ 1.jpg

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