Background:
Indonesia declared its independence in 1945 from the Netherlands, a claim disputed, then
recognized by the Dutch in 1949. In 1975 Indonesian troops occupied Portuguese East Timor.
Current issues include implementing IMF-mandated reforms (particularly restructuring and
recapitalizing the insolvent banking sector), effecting a transition to a popularly
elected government, addressing longstanding grievances over the role of the ethnic Chinese
business class and charges of cronyism and corruption, alleged human rights violations by
the military, the role of the military and religion
in politics, and growing pressures for some form of independence
or autonomy by Aceh, Irian Jaya, and East Timor. Geography
Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the
Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates:
5 00 S, 120 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 1,919,440 sq km
land: 1,826,440 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km
Area—comparative:
Slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,602 km
border countries: 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
Climate:
Tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain:
Mostly coastal lowlands;
larger islands have interior mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m
Natural resources:
Petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber,
bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 62%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
45,970 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
Occasional floods, severe droughts,
tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes
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, Desertication, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, 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 17,000 islands (6,000 inhabited);
straddles Equator; strategic location astride or along
major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean
People
Population:
216,108,345 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30%
(m 33,367,287; fe 32,411,786)
15-64 years: 65%
(m 70,541,893; fe 70,866,972)
65 years and over: 5%
(m 3,936,415; fe 4,983,992)
(1999 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.46% (1999 est.)
Birth rate:
22.78 births/1,000 population
Death rate:
8.14 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 m/fe
under 15 years: 1.03 m/fe
15-64 years: 1 m/fe
65 years and over: 0.79 m/fe
total population: 1 m/fe
Infant mortality rate:
57.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.92 years
male: 60.67 yrs female: 65.29 yrs
Total fertility rate:
2.57 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Indonesian(s)
adjective: Indonesian
Ethnic groups:
Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%,
coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%
Religions:
Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%,
Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)
Languages:
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay),
English, Dutch, local dialects, the most
widely spoken of which is Javanese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6% female: 78%
(1995 est.)
Economy
Economy—overview:
The collapse of the rupiah in late 1997 and early 1998 caused GDP to contract by an
estimated 13.7% in 1998 because of Indonesian firms' reliance on short-term
dollar-denominated debt and high levels of nonperforming loans in the banking sector. The
Indonesian Government initially wavered on meeting the conditions it agreed to in exchange
for a $42 billion IMF assistance package, contributing to further loss in investor
confidence and outflows of capital. Riots that in many cases targeted ethnic Chinese
business owners also set back chances that Indonesia would quickly stabilize its financial
crisis and contributed to President SOEHARTO's resignation on 21 May 1998. His successor,
B.J. HABIBIE, improved cooperation with the IMF. The money supply—which expanded
rapidly early in the year to prop up banks hit by deposit runs—was tightened within a
few months, and by October, inflation—which reached a 77% annual rate—was
significantly dampened. The government also announced a bank recapitalization program in
late 1998, but by early 1999 the plan faced growing challenges over its reliance on public
funds. Doubts about whether the program is adequate underlie forecasts of
continued—although much less severe—GDP contraction for 1999. Signs of spreading
unrest and sectarian violence and concern that social instability will increase as the 7
June 1999 national election approaches also contribute to pessimism about the economy,
particularly because foreign investors remain reluctant to begin to increase capital
inflows again. The next government will face the challenge of establishing a macroeconomic
policy framework that addresses longstanding grievances and inequities underlying much of
the current unrest without hampering an economic recovery.
GDP:
Purchasing power parity—$602 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate:
-13.7% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita:
Purchasing power parity—$2,830 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 18.8%
industry: 40.3%
services: 40.9%
(1998 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or
consumption by % share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 28.3% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
77% (1998 est.)
Labor force:
87 million (1997 est.)
Labor force—by occupation:
Agriculture 41%, trade, restaurant, and hotel 19.8%,
manufacturing 14%, construction 4.8%,
transport and communications 4.75%, other 15.65%
(1997)
Unemployment rate:
15%-20% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $35 billion (of which $15 billion
is from international financial institutions)
expenditures:
$35 billion, w/ capital expenditures of $12 billion
(FY98/99 est.)
Industries:
Petroleum and natural gas; textiles,
apparel, and footwear; mining, cement,
chemical fertilizers, plywood; rubber; food; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
-13.7% (1998 est.)
Electricity—production:
66.8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 82.34%
hydro: 14.97%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2.69% (1996)
Electricity—consumption:
66.8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports:
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports:
0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products:
Rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa,
coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs
Exports:
$49 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports—commodities:
Garments 7.9%, textiles 7.3%,
gas 6.4%, electrical appliances 5.9%,
pulp and paper 5.3%,
oil 4.7%, plywood 4.7%
Exports—partners:
Japan 18%, EU 15%, US 14%,
Singapore 13%, South Korea 5%,
Hong Kong 4%, China 3.9%,
Taiwan 3.4%
(1998 est.)
Imports:
$24 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports—commodities:
Manufactures 75.3%, raw materials 9.0%,
foodstuffs 7.8%, fuels 7.7%
Imports—partners:
Japan 20%, US 13%, Germany 9%,
Singapore 9%, Australia 6.4%,
South Korea 5.4%, Taiwan 3.4%,
China 3.1% (1998 est.)
Debt—external:
$136 billion (year end 1997 est.)
Economic aid—recipient:
$43 billion from IMF program and
other official external financing
(1997-2000)
Currency:
Indonesian rupiah (Rp)
Exchange rates:
Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) per US$1—8,714.3 (Jan. 1999), 10,013.6 (1998), 2,909.4
(1997), 2,342.3 (1996), 2,248.6 (1995), 2,160.8 (1994)
Fiscal year:
1 April—31 March
Communications
Telephones:
1,276,600 (1993 est.)
Telephone system:
Domestic service fair, international service good
domestic:
Interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;
domestic satellite communications system
international: Satellite earth stations—2 Intelsat
(1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 618, FM 38, shortwave 0
Radios:
28.1 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations:
41 (of which 18 are government-
owned and 23 are commercial)
(1997)
Televisions:
11.5 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 6,458 km
narrow gauge:
5,961 km 1.067-m gauge
(101 km electrified; 101 km double track);
497 km 0.750-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 342,700 km
paved: 158,670 km
unpaved: 184,030 km
(1997 est.)
Waterways:
21,579 km total;
Sumatra 5,471 km,
Java and Madura 820 km,
Kalimantan 10,460 km,
Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km,
Irian Jaya 4,587 km
Pipelines:
Crude oil 2,505 km; natural gas 1,703 km;
petroleum products 456 km (1989)
Ports and harbors:
Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang,
Palembang, Semarang, Surabaya, Ujungpandang
Merchant marine:
total: 587 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 2,707,004 GRT/3,701,001 DWT
ships by type: bulk 37, cargo 348, chemical tanker 8, container 20,
liquefied gas tanker 5, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 116, passenger 9, passenger-cargo
13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 7, vehicle
carrier 5 (1998 est.)
Airports:
443 (1998 est.)
Airports—Paved runways:
total: 125
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 41
914 to 1,523 m: 39
under 914 m: 30
Airports—Unpaved runways:
total: 318
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 282
Heliports:
4 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police
Military age:
18 years of age
Manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 61,087,521 (1999 est.)
Fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 35,804,125 (1999 est.)
Reach military age annually:
males: 2,268,638 (1999 est.)
Expenditures—$ figure:
$959.7 million (FY97/98)
Expenditures—% of GDP:
1% (FY97/98)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international:
Indonesian sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province), which is not recognized by
the UN, is the subject of discussions between the UN, Indonesia, and Portugal; two islands
in dispute with Malaysia
Illicit drugs:
Illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; possible
growing role as transshipment point for Golden Triangle heroin |
