Geography

The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia comprises some 13,677 islands spread over 3,100 miles between the continents of Asia and Australia.  The five main islands (Java, Borneo, Sumatra, New Guinea and Sulawesi) are mountainous, volcanic and densely forested; many others are little more than puffs of sand topped by coconut palms.

Indonesia is a haven for biologists.  It is the heart of the Indo-Pacific region, the center for marine diversity on the planet, and the variety of fish and coral on display is staggering.  On land, as the bridge between two continents and with the world's third largest rainforest (on Borneo), Indonesia offers an array of flora and fauna rivaled by few places on earth.  Unfortunately, this unique endowment is threatened by the Indonesians themselves: illegal logging and dynamite fishing are rampant.

History

Although parts of Indonesia were originally populated over a million years ago by our human-like ancestors, the archipelago was first thoroughly settled some 5,000 years ago by Austronesians from the Asian mainland.   This expansion was attributable to one of mankind's most important inventions, the outrigger canoe, by comparison with which the internet is trivial. 

Its position on the maritime trade routes between China and India have over the ensuing years exposed Indonesia to important outside influences.  In the first millennium AD, Hinduism and Buddhism from India were integral to Indonesian society; subsequently, Muslim traders introduced Islam, which by 500 years ago was the predominant faith.  When the Dutch arrived on the scene in the 16th century, in search of the fabled Spice Isles, they encountered a sophisticated Muslim court culture on Java, which they promptly subjugated in order to monopolize the spice trade.

The Japanese invasion of World War II gave Indonesians a foretaste of independence, which they were granted in 1949.  The country's greatest challenge since that time has been to meld together a nation from so many disparate peoples, followed closely by instilling a respect for democratic institutions.  Recently, the country has suffered nasty setbacks on the first front (most notably in East Timor), and appears to be making progress on the second (viz. the fall of authoritarian president Suharto).

People

With a population of some 200 million, 87% of them Muslim, Indonesia is the world's largest Islamic country and the fourth largest nation overall.  250 or so languages are spoken, with Bahasa Indonesia (basically Malay) as the official language and lingua franca.

The fact that Indonesia and Indonesians are an invention of the 20th century has become painfully obvious of late.  Aside from the independence of East Timor, the outlying peoples of Irian Jaya (New Guinea) and Aceh (Sumatra) have longstanding grievances with their Javanese overlords; these have endured decades of suppression, and will not go away soon.  In addition to these calls for independence, Muslims and Christians are killing one another in the Moluccas, the Spice Isles of yore, and even the reformed headhunters of Borneo have suffered a relapse or two.

The UN ranks Indonesia in the 37th percentile in terms of quality of life, based on life expectancy, education and income; this is below most Asian countries.  Things have only gotten worse in the past few years, as political instability and the Asian financial crisis have hit the average Indonesian very hard indeed.

Economy

Indonesia is a low income country, with a GNP per capita of $640 at last tally (it's lower now).  The country is rich in mineral resources, particularly oil and gas, and is an OPEC member.  High tech accounts for 11% of GDP, pretty good for a poor country.  However, corruption and centralized management of the economy have served to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few, who have tended to use it unwisely. 

Tourism has been an important contributor to the economy, with nearly 5 million arrivals per year until the recent troubles scared many off.  Most tourists tend to concentrate on a few areas of Java and Bali, leaving much of the country largely untouched.

Sources:  World Bank (1998 data), Dorling Kindersley World Reference Atlas, UNDP Human Development Report, Lonely Planet